All That Glitters
by Ririririn
Summary: Budget cuts due to underperformance causes the Seigaku girl's tennis team to share training space and time with the boy's team. Sparks will fly, people will be set on fire and poisoned, and they might just make it to the end if they cooperate. A Seigaku girls' tennis team fanfic, high school AU. Because those tall brats are /not/ in middle school.
1. Mergers and Tryouts

**Warnings:** OCs. OCs everywhere. OC-centric, but not all on one OC. A couple of OC/canon pairings. Profanity. In the future, mature themes/discussion/implications but nothing explicit past kissing and groping. When something comes up it will be mentioned here.

**Word Count:** ~10k

**Disclaimer:** This will only be here once: I don't own Prince of Tennis, although I own any OCs present.

**Summary:** "Budget cuts due to underperformance in the previous years causes the Seigaku girl's tennis team to share training space and time with the boy's team. Sparks will fly, people will be set on fire and poisoned, and they might just make it to the end if they cooperate. A Seigaku girls' tennis team fanfic, set during their high-school years. Because I refuse to believe that those brats are in middle school."

**Note: For any readers who read the first version of this chapter, Ai's name has been changed to Azumi. New readers, ignore this and read on.**

* * *

**All That Glitters**

_Chapter 1 – Mergers and Tryouts_

* * *

_So it's gonna be forever_  
_Or it's gonna go down in flames_  
_You can tell me when it's over_  
_If the high was worth the pain_

\- Blank Space, Taylor Swift

* * *

"_May 4th – In an amazing turn-around, the Seishun Academy girl's tennis team, whom in the previous year lost in straight sets at the Kanto tournament semi-finals against Fudomine High, has this year won all of their matches so far in the Kanto regional tournament!_

"_The captaincy was passed to 16 year old Kuroi Kyouko, the daughter of the retired tennis player Kuroi Daiki. The new line-up holds plenty of raw potential; how far will they go under Kuroi's lead?"_

* * *

"_June 8th – It would seem that Seishun Academy girls team's progress has come to a halt. After being defeated by Hyoutei in the regional finals, they were crushed in the second round of the national tournament by the same school. The captain, Kuroi Kyouko, did not play in their games against Hyoutei."_

* * *

"Isn't it about time you stopped sulking, Kyouko? It's already been three days. This isn't like you." Seishun academy second year Shibata Yui lay on the twin-sized bed, a lollipop in her mouth. She turned her head to regard her friend, who was curled up on a chair in front of the desk.

Kuroi Kyouko. Seishun academy second year student, and captain of the girl's tennis team. Daughter of a famous tennis player, and middle school division champion in Osaka. Regarded as the strongest female tennis player in Kanto.

All in all, she did not take losing well.

She'd been so confident, so _sure_ that they would make it. That they would bring home that trophy, and she'd be able to prove to her team that hard work really paid off.

Instead, they'd lost, now half the members had dropped out, and the third year regulars refused to talk to her.

She curled further into herself and willed herself not to cry.

Yui sighed and sat up. "Oi. Are we gonna do this or not? I seriously hope you didn't make me practice until I dropped all these months just to give up now." She nudged Kyouko with her foot. "C'mon, buchou-chan. Let's go hit some balls."

Kyouko sat still for a while more, before slowly unfurling and standing up from the chair.

She was the captain.

She would bring her team to the nationals again.

But first, she had someone to apologize to.

* * *

Nishimiya Haruka slammed her fist against her bed, tears of frustration dripping onto her sheets. One hand was covering her mouth, to hide the wretched sobs. Her body shook as she tried to hold it all in.

_She'd lost_.

She, the supposed prodigy of the team, the rising star. After the captain, she was supposed to be the strongest player, not just on their team, but in all of Kanto. And she'd lost.

True, she'd been playing against the captain.

True, she'd lost 7-6 in the tiebreaker at 27-25.

But it didn't change the fact that she'd lost.

So many people had been counting on her. If she'd won singles three, they would still have had a chance. Shibata-senpai would have won singles two, and Kuroi-buchou would have won singles one. They would have had a shot at the championships. Instead, they'd been shot down as soon as they'd stepped foot inside the stadium.

She buried her face into the sheets. Three days later, and the pain was still just as sharp as it had been when her last ball had hit the net. She felt the urge to scream building up, rising from the pit of her stomach-

There was a timid knock on her door.

"Haruka?" It was her mother. "Haruka, you have visitors..."

Haruka stiffened. She opened her mouth to tell them to go away, but a sob came out instead. Horrified, she covered her mouth again, but now the tears wouldn't stop. They burned a salty trail as they fell down her cheeks. Her body shivered and convulsed lightly as she hiccupped and sniffed.

A pair of arms wrapped around her, holding her gently, protectively.

"Oh, Haruka," her captain's voice whispered softly. "I'm so sorry."

The miserable first-year burrowed into her captain's embrace and wailed.

_Yeesh,_ Yui thought, standing awkwardly in the doorway with Haruka's mother. _Are they on their period or something? Is that why they've been so moody?_

* * *

_A Bit Over Half a Year Later_

"You're going to _what_?" Kyouko stared at the principal, hoping she'd heard wrong. Behind her, Yui was equally stunned, but schooled her face back into a mask of indifference.

The principal looked at them gravely, upturned eyes and wrinkled forehead expressing his sympathy.

"You heard me, girls. Funding has been cut. The staff have discussed it, and the majority agreed that the girl's tennis team should be cut."

Kyouko pursed her lips and frowned in displeasure. "May I inquire as to exactly why my club is being cut, sir?" she bit out with as much respect as she could muster. Yui grimaced; Kyouko only reverted to formal talk when she was really, really pissed at a superior or senior.

"Most insisted that the girl's tennis club is, for the most part, a reason for girls to get close to the boy's tennis club regulars," the principal explained. "They believe it's a waste of funds, especially given the club's historical performance at tournaments-"

"We made it to the nationals last year," Kyouko cut in, her tone flat and unimpressed. "The reason we lost is because Nishimiya wasn't in her peak condition. She will be this year. We all will be."

The principal regarded Kyouko with a long stare, not moving. Finally, he sighed.

"I thought you would say that. Your father was a friend of mine, you know. So much potential." Because Kyouko's hands were clasped behind her back, only Yui saw the tightening of her fists. "So I compromised with the staff." He stood up from his desk and walked up to the two girls. "If you can get further than you did last year, the club will not be cut. But if you lose before then, the club ends with you. Do you understand?"

"Yes sir."

"Oh, and one more thing..."

* * *

"We're sharing space with the girl's tennis team?" Oishi repeated.

Tezuka nodded. "That's what Ryuuzaki-sensei told me. Apparently the nearby club where the girls practiced was demolished, so they have nowhere else to practice."

"But we don't have all that much space either," Oishi fussed. "We need at least three courts, and it would be rude to not let the other members practice, and that's only assuming that the girls only need one court..."

"Ryuuzaki-sensei said not to worry about that and to leave it to the girl's tennis club captain." Tezuka returned to organizing the ranking matches. "She says there is an agreement between the captain and the principal."

"Well, I guess if Ryuuzaki-sensei says so..." Oishi sighed and looked out the window, to where their club was practicing.

* * *

"What? We have to share space with the girl's team?" Momoshiro repeated incredulously. "Oishi-fukubuchou, are you sure that's... Safe? I mean, half of those girls are rabid fangirls. People like Tezuka-buchou and Fuji-senpai aren't going to be able to blink without a girl hanging off him, or getting in his way. And there are bound to be catfights, and screaming, and-" Echizen kicked him in the leg to shut him up. "Ow! Oi, Echizen, show more respect to your senpai!"

"Fsshuuu. Lame."

"What did you say, Mamushi?! You wanna go?"

"Come on you guys..." Oishi sighed as Momoshiro and Kaidou began wrestling on the ground. Eiji began cheering them on from the sidelines as Fuji watched, amused, and Kawamura tried to stop them.

"Excuse me."

Oishi and Echizen turned around.

The newcomer was a brunette with medium-length hair fixed in a ponytail. Beside her was a slightly shorter girl with black hair tied up in a bun, twin locks framing her face and falling to her collarbones. Both wore the girl's tennis club regular's uniform.

The taller girl spoke up. "Are you Tezuka?" she inquired.

Oishi was interrupted by the girl standing behind her before he could correct the newcomer. "No, Kyouko; haven't you seen _any_ of the regulars?" She sounded rather disdainful. "That's the vice-captain, Oishi Shuichiro."

"Oh, I apologize. I'm Kuroi Kyouko, captain of the girl's tennis team," she introduced herself. "This is my vice-captain, Shibata Yui." She gestured to the girl behind her, who nodded politely and began inspecting her painted nails, evidently bored. "I look forward to working with you."

Whispers arose from the club members, who had been eavesdropping.

"What's she talking about? The two teams have never worked together before."

"Bah. They probably need our help to improve or something."

"I wish they'd stop distracting us and go away. It's not like they're serious about tennis anyways."

"Ah..." Oishi glanced about helplessly. "I'm sorry about them," he apologized to the two girls. They simply shrugged; they were used to this sort of attitude.

"Look, it's Tezuka-buchou!"

Oishi sighed in relief as Tezuka stepped into the courts. Immediately, the club members bowed. Even Momoshiro and Kaidou stopped fighting.

"Cheers!"

Tezuka nodded solemnly, then spoke. "Everyone except for Oishi, ten laps. Now."

"Eeeeehhh?" A collective groan rose, but they nonetheless obeyed.

Tezuka returned his attention to Oishi and the two girls. "I apologize for the conduct of my team." Ah, so he had been listening. "Ryuuzaki-sensei has informed Oishi and me of your situation. We will do our best to accommodate." Oishi nodded in agreement.

Yui smiled a sharp smile, lips pursed and tight, eyes gleaming. It was her trademark smile as the infamous Queen of the third years; being in her class, Tezuka knew that smile meant trouble. From the narrowing of the female captain's eyes, it seemed she knew that too.

"Then, for starters, could we borrow your courts after school in two days?" she asked with false sweetness.

"Ah, how many of them?" Oishi asked.

"All of them."

"Eh?" Oishi's eyes widened. "But... We have practice..."

"Is that a no?" Yui sneered. "Not very accommodating. You have practice every day. I thought-" She was cut off when Kyouko jabbed an elbow into her side. "FUCK!" Oishi jumped, startled. The loud curse attracted the attention of some of the club members running laps. Tezuka's eyes narrowed. "Damn it, Kyouko-" Kyouko jabbed her again and she groaned, backing off, clutching her ribs. Kyouko turned her attention back to Tezuka and Oishi.

"I apologize for her," Kyouko said with a wry smile. "We're all a little tense with the current situation. We'd like to use your courts in two days after school for matches to determine the new regular spots. It won't take as long as your ranking matches; one evening is enough. Your team is welcome to watch. In fact, it would help greatly if they gave their input."

"That should be fine," Tezuka acknowledged.

"Thank you." Kyouko nodded in thanks. "Please excuse me." She turned and left the courts. Yui, who'd been waiting at the gate, took up her place beside Kyouko again and jabbed her in the ribs. Kyouko didn't even flinch.

Oishi sighed. This was going to give him a headache; he knew it. Tezuka adjusted his glasses with a finger.

"Are you sure this is going to work out, Tezuka?"

"Yudan sezu ni ikou."

* * *

"Hey, Fuji-senpai, have you heard of this Kuroi Kyouko before?" Momoshiro asked his senpai once they were done laps.

"Mmm, I don't think so."

"Kuroi Kyouko; height, 168cm." Inui suddenly popped out of nowhere, startling everyone.

"GAAH! Inui-senpai, please, make some noise!" Momoshiro begged. Ignoring him, Inui went on.

Birthday, July 5th. Dominant hand, right. Daughter of Kuroi Daiki, a retired professional tennis player. Kuroi Daiki was once a serious grand slam contender, but backed out due to an injury to his knee. His daughter, Kuroi Kyouko, has participated in and won numerous tournaments, and was ranked the number one female player in the Osaka region in the middle school level. She was a reserve player two years ago for Shintenhouji high, that year's national champions."

"... Inui-senpai," Kaidou asked hesitantly, "Why do you know so much about her?"

"Hmm? Because I heard from sources that the girl's tennis team would be joining ours," he replied calmly.

"Wait, Inui, you already knew?" Kikumaru exclaimed. "Why didn't you tell us?"

"You never asked," he replied succinctly, causing some groans from his audience.

"Never mind that," Momoshiro interrupted. "She's been to the nationals? She was on the champion's team? Who _is_ this girl?"

"Out of your league," a crisp voice announced from behind them. Kikumaru and Momoshiro, who'd had their backs to the new arrival, turned around.

The new girl gave Momoshiro a derisive look. She had clear green eyes that were surrounded by the red frames of her rectangular glasses. Her curly black hair, let loose behind her, was rather long and reached the middle of her back. She wore a decidedly unfriendly frown. All in all, she had the stereotypical top-ranking-student look down, except for her ears, which were pierced three times on each side.

Inui pushed his glasses further up. "Ushimaru-san. Can we help you?"

The girl – Ushimaru – handed him a sheet of paper. "Suzuki-sensei asked me to give this to you, since we're in the same class."

"Ah, this is... I see. Thank you." Inui stuck the paper inside his notebook, closing it. "If I'm not mistaken, you were on the girl's tennis team last year as a reserve player. Will you be trying out for the team again this year?"

"If I have time." With that, the girl nodded politely and left the courts.

"… Who was that?" Momoshiro asked, confused.

Inui flipped to a page in his notebook. "Ushimaru Azumi, student council vice-president. She has a reputation for having a sharp tongue and little patience. She skipped a grade and does not socialize with many people outside of obligation. She is also known for setting high standards for herself; her grade ranking has never dropped below tenth place."

"Nyaaaa, she sounds scary," Eiji shuddered, having never placed in the top ten in his life. "Her name's cute, though."

"Despite this, she is considered very reliable. She works frequently with Tezuka in the student council. There were rumours at one point that they were dating."

There was a pause, and then-

"EEEEEHH?"

"Dating? With Tezuka-buchou?" Momoshiro exclaimed, skeptical. "No way!"

"Well, my sources tell me that they sat beside each other in class during first year," Inui reasoned. "Perhaps that has something to do with it?"

"I think she's weird," Momoshiro shuddered. "Did you see her eyes? They were practically frosted over. It felt like she was going to stab me with her glare."

"Heeeh. Are you scared of her, Momo-senpai?"

"O-of course not! Echizen, quit grinning like that! I mean it!"

"Uisu~"

* * *

Azumi waited in the hallway close to the door of a first-year classroom. After a few minutes, a group of girls walked out, chatting with each other. One of them glanced at her and stopped for half a second, before ignoring her and continuing on. Once they walked by her, Azumi stepped out.

"Natsuki."

The girl that had glanced at her stopped. Her friends stared between the two of them. They all resembled Natsuki – they wore makeup and fancy jewelry, and had dyed hair done up in the latest trends.

"What do you want?" Natsuki addressed her tonelessly.

"How has school been so far?" Azumi inquired in the same tone. Natsuki didn't turn around.

"Why do you care?" she snapped.

"I'm you're sister."

One of Natsuki's friends spoke up. "Are you two twins?" she asked Natsuki. Natsuki nodded once, quickly, then laughed. It was a harsh, humorless laugh.

"I wish she weren't," she sneered. "She's so useless and has no friends. All she does is study all day long. She hasn't even had a boyfriend yet." Her friends laughed and started up another conversation, walking away.

Azumi made one last attempt. She walked up and placed a hand on Natsuki's shoulder. "Natsuki-"

Her hand was slapped off.

"What the fuck! Don't touch me, you creep!" Natsuki snarled. She shoved Azumi, hard, making her lose her balance. Azumi closed her eyes, expecting to fall over, when someone grabbed her arm.

"Woah! Are you okay?"

Azumi opened her eyes in surprise. A petit brunette with medium-length straight hair smiled back at her. Natsuki recognized her as Kawamura Sakura, a very popular second-year girl who was also in the tennis club.

She helped Azumi steady herself, then turned to Natsuki and her group. "Natsuki-chan, it's not nice to push people, even if you hate them," she chided.

"Che, whatever." With one last glare, Natsuki turned and left with her friends. Azumi stared at her twin sister's departing back.

"Are you okay?" the brunette asked anxiously. "I'm Kawamura Sakura."

"I know," Azumi replied bluntly. It didn't deter Sakura.

"You look exactly like Natsuki-chan. Are you two twins or something? I don't remember seeing you in the entrance ceremony. I was one of the volunteers."

"I'm a third year."

"Third... Year?" Sakura blinked. "Oh goodness! I'm so sorry, senpai! I though you were a second year like me, so I was super casual..."

"... It's fine." Azumi owed Sakura for this. She regretted it instantly when Sakura latched onto her (figuratively and literally) and continued asking questions.

"Ne, ne, what's your name?"

"... Ushimaru"

"No, silly, your first name."

"None of your business."

"That's a weird name," Sakura laughed. "So, why does Natsuki-chan hate you?"

Straight to the point.

"None of your business."

"Come on, don't be like that," Sakura grinned. "Is it because you skipped a year and she was held back?" Of course, Sakura had been able to infer that from the information she'd been given. "I'm right, aren't I?" Azumi didn't reply; Sakura took that as affirmation. "Ooooh, I see. She's jealous of you. I bet your parents compare you a lot, too. Well, that's her loss then! She should be sucking up to you and asking you to help her with homework, like I will be!"

Azumi's hand twitched sharply._ You're a student council member. Homicide is against the law. Plus you're wearing a lot of white today. And Natsuki saw you with her. Resist._

* * *

"Sakuno! Sakuno, great news!" Osakada Tomoka ran up to her best friend's desk. "My brothers are enrolling into an after-school program, so I don't have to babysit them anymore! I can join the tennis club!"

"That's great, Tomo-chan!" Sakuno cheered. "We can walk home together after practice."

"Yeah! Aaaah, I'll be able to be with Ryoma-sama more often now..." Tomoka sat down in the desk in front of Sakuno, dreaming of her prince. Sakuno smiled fondly; Tomoka would always be Tomoka. "Ah, I almost forgot! I signed us both up for regular tryouts!"

"W-what?" Sakuno gasped. "But I can't- I'm not- Tomo-chan!" Tomoka waved her off.

"Don't worry! You actually practice with your grandma. You know most of the members are just fangirls that want an excuse to get closer to the boy's tennis team and hardly ever show up to practice. Besides, I hear that this year the captain's making some big changes this year. You'll never know if you don't try!"

"Tomo-chan..." Sakuno slumped in her seat dejectedly. Inwardly, though, she was just a little bit hopeful.

* * *

News that the girl's team was going to be practicing with the boy's team spread like wildfire, and within a day the regular try-out sign up sheet had over fifty names.

"What the hell is this?" Yui glared at the list, as though hoping it would spontaneously combust. "We don't even _have_ fifty club members. I would know; I'm the friggin vice-captain. Kyouko, are we really going to let every one of these brats try out? I know some of them. I can name ten people from this list that we shouldn't even have to consider."

"We can't afford to be picky. You never know what we'll see. I don't want to miss someone by accident."

"Che. Oi, Nishimiya, talk some sense into her." Haruka didn't look up from her music player.

"So, how is this going to work?" Oishi wondered, glancing at Tezuka.

"We can't hold ranking matches; it takes too long, and we have too many people," Kyouko explained. "So instead, we're going to let each person play once or twice, against a random opponent. We'll note any potential candidates. If there are too many at the end, we'll hold more matches. In a pinch, Yui and I can step in to test them personally."

"Eeeeh? I'll have to play?" Yui groaned, having assumed she would just be watching.

"If it's any consolation, you don't have to hold back that much," Kyouko said wryly. "Feel free to go wild. If they can't handle the pressure, they won't last at the nationals." She turned back to the sign-up sheet. "I don't care if half of them are fangirls. If they have the skill and the drive, I'll consider them."

"But... Would they become a distraction to our club members?" Oishi asked tentatively, not wanting to insult the girls. "If they're in the club, then won't they be allowed on the courts during practice anyways, even if they aren't regulars?"

"We have a way of dealing with that," Yui replied cryptically with a tight and wide smile that promised pain.

"If they have skill and drive," Kyouko repeated, "then they deserve a chance. If they're a club member and they prove to be too much of a distraction, they'll be given a warning and then kicked out. If they're a regular, we'll beat the fangirl-ism out of them." Her eyes darkened ominously.

"... I'll take your word for it."

"So, we'll hold the tryouts tomorrow after school," Kyouko confirmed. Tezuka nodded. "Alright. Once again, your team is invited to watch, but I request that only the regulars be permitted to watch, along with your data master, Inui."

"Aah, that's not a problem."

Kyouko turned to speak to Haruka. "So, are you going to be watching as well?" Haruka shook her head. "Right. Dismissed, then." With that, Haruka and Yui left the room. "I swear, those two..." She chuckled. "Tezuka, you're lucky you have such a loyal and reliable vice-captain. The only reason those two obey me is because they've never once won against me in tennis and are sticking around to do so."

"Ah." Tezuka nodded in agreement and Oishi blushed a bit a receiving such praise.

"How long have you known them?" he asked.

"About a year now, I think," Kyouko answered. "I moved here from Osaka for second year."

"Only a year? But you all seem to get along very well," Oishi remarked.

"Well... We've ben through a lot together," Kyouko grinned wryly. "Thanks, Tezuka, Oishi. See you guys tomorrow." With that, she left as well.

* * *

_The next evening_

"Thank you all for coming." With her arms crossed, no smile on her face, her jersey on her shoulders and her sidekick- errr, vice-captain – standing behind her, Kyouko appeared rather intimidating. Apparently, though, it wasn't enough to stop some of the girls in the crowd from chatting rather loudly (probably due to the fact that the male regulars were waiting on the sidelines).

Kyouko was content to wait until everyone quieted down, but Yui had no such patience. "Oi. If you don't all shut up, we'll just tell the principal we changed our minds and we don't need a girl's tennis club after all." _That_ caught their attention, and the girls that were chatting quieted down, chastised.

"Thank you," Kyouko repeated wryly. "This is how things will work. You will each get to play at least one match. Regulars from both the girls and boys team will be watching." This caused another wave of excited whispers, but another glare from Yui quieted them down again.

"You don't have to win to make it, although it helps. If we see something we like, we'll put you down as a candidate. The rules are subject to change at any time. We may ask you to play a second or third match right away. Shibata here or even myself may play you. We will choose our regulars from among those that show the most talent, drive, potential, and skill; so don't hold anything back. If you don't like it, you may leave at any time and we will withdraw your name from the list of candidates. Are there any questions?"

There were none.

"Alright. We'll be playing four matches simultaneously. Court A, Watanabe and Kirio. Court B, Yamato and Osakada. Court C, Kawamura-"

"Onii-chan!" Kawamura Sakura jumped up and down, waving her arms excitedly. "Onii-chan, over here!"

"Eh?" Kawamura was stunned; he'd had no idea that his little sister was trying out for the tennis team. "Sakura..."

Fuji smiled. "That's your sister? She's cute," he complimented.

"Ah, thanks." Kawamura smiled shyly, touching his neck.

Kyouko coughed. "Court C, Kawamura and Mitobe. Court D, Ueno. You'll be playing against Shibata."

Whispers broke out again, the crowd wondering whom this Ueno was and how good was she to have already caught the attention of the captain.

"What are you waiting for?" Yui snapped. "Get moving!" The candidates quickly scattered.

Kyouko turned to the male regulars. "Kikumaru and Oishi, please observe court A. Fuji and Kawamura, can you two take care of court B? Tezuka and Kaidou, court C please. Momoshiro and Echizen, court D. Inui, feel free to observe any of the courts."

"Hai!"

"Fsshhh."

"Hoi hoi!"

"Uisu~"

"Okay."

"Ah."

"Great." With that, Kyouko went to observe court A.

* * *

_Court B_

"That first year is doing pretty well against a third year," Fuji remarked.

"She's losing though," Kawamura pointed out.

"Yes, but did you notice? Each game she loses, she takes longer to lose." He pointed out a footwork mistake that she quickly fixed and wouldn't make for the rest of the match. "The match hasn't even ended yet and she's already fixing most of the mistakes she makes and slowly diminishing the gap between her and her opponent. Plus, she's more focused." He gestured to the third year, Yamato, who was getting more and more distracted glancing at Fuji to see if he'd noticed her.

Osakada Tomoka, on the other hand, knew that her Ryoma-sama was on another court, and so didn't bother wasting time looking around. Even though she was down three games, she couldn't help but giggle every time she hit the ball.

_Tennis was pretty fun_.

Fuji recognized the look in her eyes and smiled. "If there's no one else, I'll recommend her."

* * *

_Court D_

"One set match. Ueno to serve!"

Yui observed the candidate. Second year Ueno Kaoru. Red hair that matched her spitfire attitude, and known as the "Second Year Queen"; a parody of Yui's own title, "Queen of the third years." Many considered her to be Yui's successor in the popularity games. She was also no slouch in tennis, with three year's experience behind her. She'd been on the team last year, and Yui had seen her play occasionally.

_But,_ Yui thought, as the second year threw the ball up, _it's pointless if you won't draw on that experience._ Kaoru served, fast and true. Yui was there half a second before the ball bounced. She slammed her racquet forwards, and the ball flew past Kaoru's cheek with a centimeter to spare.

"Love-fifteen!"

Kaoru's eyes widened, as she stood, frozen. She slowly turned her head around to see the ball rolling behind her. She hadn't even recovered from her serve.

"I'll give you this one warning," Yui called from across the court. "If you don't get serious, this match will end before you can even score a single point." Her eyes narrowed. "Play your real tennis."

Kaoru grit her teeth. Grabbing another ball, she bounced it a couple of times. _You want my real tennis?_ She backed up about a meter from the baseline and threw the ball up, much too high, and at an angle.

"What the hell is she doing?" Momoshiro exclaimed. "She'll never hit it properly like that.

_You'll get it_.

She jumped from her right leg, twisting her hips to pivot and reach the perfect angle. Her eyes remained fixed on the ball. Her racquet reached out, and she slammed it into the ball with all her might, curling the racquet _under_ the ball as much as she could.

_Bam!_

The ball hit the ground half a second later, right in from of Yui, and shot back towards the net. Yui watched with a satisfied expression on her face. _There it is; Ueno's Backlash._

"Fifteen all!"

Whispering broke out around the courts, where the other candidates were waiting.

"Oi, Echizen..." Momoshiro murmured. "What was _that_?"

"Hnnn. Kind of reminds me of Kikumaru-senpai's acrobatic play," Ryoma remarked. He jumped back when a ball hit the fence where he face had been.

"Fault!"

"It's not acrobatic play!" Kaoru shouted, waving her racquet at the first year furiously. "It's dance!" This was why she didn't like playing this way.

"Ueno," Yui interrupted. "Focus on the game. You can maul him later."

"Cht." Kaoru grudgingly turned back to the game. Backing up a few steps again, she tossed the ball way up, and hit her strange serve again. This time, Yui caught the ball on the way to the net and hit it over successfully. _Her serve's gotten much faster since last year,_ she acknowledged. _I was lucky to be able to return her serve this time_.

Kaoru, not expecting her serve to win the point, dashed to the net. She caught the ball as it was passing her and aimed right for Yui's feet. Yui, seeing the path of the ball, was just able to catch the ball before it bounced. The ball flew up, slow and easy. Kaoru launched herself up into a backflip, following the ball, and then passing the ball. Once she was about a foot higher, she let gravity do its work as she smashed the ball as hard as she could. It zoomed past Yui.

"Thirty-fifteen!"

Yui smiled and walked back to the baseline. _Well done._ Kyouko, glancing over from the adjacent court, nodded in approval and spoke quietly to Inui. Kaoru served again and Yui was unable to return the reverse-bouncing serve this time.

"Game, Ueno! One game to love."

"Waaaaah! Ochibi, look!" Kikumaru draped himself over the disgruntled first-year. "She's using acrobatic tennis too! And she's not bad at it either!"

Kaoru twitched. _It's not acrobatics! It's _dance_!_ She hated that term, acrobatics. It made her feel like she was a monkey when she played. Even if she _did_ incorporate a bit of gymnastics. Just a bit. But it was Shibata's turn to serve. She returned her attention to the game.

Meanwhile, Ryoma tried to shove the energetic third year off.

"What happened to the game you were watching, Kikumaru-senpai?" Momoshiro wondered.

"Ah, Kuroi-chan decided the girls weren't worth watching anymore and told them to leave," he replied, pouting. "One of them started crying, too, but she wouldn't budge."

Yui overheard and chuckled. That certainly sounded like her captain. She tossed the ball up and served. Kaoru placed herself into position to return it-

\- then ducked out of the way as the ball went flying towards her face.

"Fifteen-love!"

"Waaa! Ochibi, isn't that your twist serve?" Kikumaru exclaimed. "Wow! She can do it too!"

"Che. Mada mada dane."

Yui smiled at Kaoru.

"Let's see who can break a service game first, shall we?"

Kaoru glared.

Yui threw the ball up, and the match started up again.

* * *

Kyouko glanced at court D. _They're still at it, huh?_ Yui had only allowed Kaoru to take one more game, breaking all of her subsequent service games while holding her own. The score was 5-2 for Yui, but Kaoru continued to persist, spinning and twisting and flipping for all she was worth, showing the result of years of dance lessons.

Kyouko remembered what her father had told her many years ago.

_Skill can always be taught, can always be ground into your bones. A deaf person can learn to play any instrument perfectly given enough practice. Determination and the will to persevere in the face of failure are what separate the winners from the losers._

Ueno Kaoru definitely had plenty of determination and will, and she wasn't lacking in skills, either.

Kyouko headed to court C. She fixed her gaze on the petit brunette waiting to receive; Kawamura Sakura. The score was currently 5-1 in Sakura's favour. She was only sweating a bit, while her opponent was exhausted. "Mitobe, you can leave. Thank you. Kawamura, stay." She then raised her voice so the candidates waiting to play could hear her. "Ogata! Get over here. You're playing Kawamura."

There was a clatter, and everyone stared at the girl that had knocked a crate of balls over. Her face reddened as she rushed to pick them up and nearly tripped. Kyouko sighed; Ogata hadn't changed much since last year. Knowing the black-haired girl, she'd only signed up to stay close to Kaoru.

There was much speculation about the exact relationship between those two, and exactly why Ueno, one of the most popular girls in her year, spent so much of her time with a shy wallflower of a third year that was constantly getting teased. But Kyouko didn't care about that.

"Leave them. You and you"- she pointed at two random candidates –" pick the balls up. Ogata, move your ass. We don't have all day."

* * *

_Court A_

Oishi winced as he saw Ryuuzaki-sensei's granddaughter walk off with a dejected expression. Ushimaru's tennis was cold and precise; the third year hadn't spoken a single word during the game. It had evidently unnerved the first year.

Oishi hoped Sakuno wasn't going to quit the tennis club; she had a lot of hidden talent. He wondered if Ushimaru had seen that, and purposely prevented Ryuuzaki from showing it.

* * *

_Court C_

"Game! Three games to love, Kawamura."

Ogata Rin was not having a good day. She hadn't talked to Kaoru-chan all day. Had she done something wrong? Then she'd gone and knocked over that crate of balls, showing just how clumsy she really was...

And now she was losing horribly to a second year.

She'd won one match before, and had been pleased that she'd been asked to play a second match, but against this mini ball of endless energy and excitement, she was struggling.

Kawamura ("_Call me Sakura!_") served. Rin ran to catch it, and just barely managed to return it. For a tiny girl, Sakura had _really_ strong shots. She lined up a slice; Rin backed up to intercept it –

\- and then the little girl tapped the ball gently, and it fell right in front of the net on Rin's side.

"Fifteen-love!"

A feint. The second year had tricked her. After three games of hitting fast, heavy shots, she suddenly hit a drop shot. Rin was stunned.

Sakura, on the other hand, cheered.

"Yaay! I scored again!" She skipped to the baseline to serve again. Rin stared after her. How could someone be this happy?

"Waaa! Taka-kun, your little sister's so cute!" Enter Kikumaru.

"Hehe, thanks, Kikumaru-senpai!" Sakura beamed.

"Call me Eiji-senpai!" Kikumaru beamed right back.

"Aren't you supposed to be watching court A, senpai?" Kaidou asked.

"Nyaa, Oishi's there! Uwaaa, Ogata-chan's playing! She's so pretty~" Indeed, Rin's large, black eyes, small nose and mouth, and delicate pale skin, combined with her shy and quiet demeanour, gave her resemblance to a traditional japanese beauty. She was commonly regarded as the prettiest girl in the school.

Tezuka watched the match silently. Ogata had the skills; she was just too shaken mentally after losing three games in a row to use them correctly. But it was as Yui had said; if they couldn't handle the pressure here, they'd be useless in an official match.

"What are you doing, Ogata?" a familiar voice called out. Rin jumped, startled.

"Kaoru-chan?" Kaoru was done her match, it seemed. Behind her, Kyouko gestured to Kaoru and said something to Tezuka, who nodded and wrote something down. Rin's heart clenched.

"Get you act together, Ogata. Your play's sloppy." With that, Kaoru left, leaving Rin to stare after her.

A ball whizzed by her, startling her. Sakura had served and she hadn't noticed.

"Thirty-love!"

"Mou, senpai, what are you doing? Get in the game!" Sakura pouted.

"A-ah. Sorry." Rin took a deep breath and cleared her head. Kaoru was right. She had to get herself together.

_Wait for me, Kaoru-chan_.

* * *

"Hey, look at that," Kikumaru said, pressing up against the fence.

"Look at what?" Kaidou grunted.

"For a while now... Ogata-chan's been getting really close to the ball before she hits it," Kikumaru's keen eyes following the two players. "Is it just my imagination?"

"It's not." Kikumaru and Kaidou turned to face Kyouko. "That's 'Queen's Territory.'" She spoke the last two words in English.

"'Queen's... Territory?'" Kaidou repeated.

"Joou no ryoudo." Tezuka spoke, translating for the onlookers. "Territory of the queen."

Kyouko nodded. "Imagine a circle around Ogata, with a radius of about 1.5 meters." Kyouko's eyes were also locked on Rin as she spoke. "If the ball bounces within that area, there's no ball Ogata can't return." She smiled. "If she's close enough to the ball, Ogata can determine exactly how it's spinning and figure out in an instant how to return it and act on that thought."

"She's used to returning my irregular and high-bouncing shots in practice," Kaoru added. "I don't think there's a shot she can't return, if she just stops thinking that it's impossible. But it's hard to get her into that state."

"She has an excellent grasp of the basics," Kyouko agreed. _But all the skill in the world may not be enough to make up for her lack of self confidence. If you don't believe you can do it, you've already failed part of it._

"That kind of incredible technique… There's got to be a weak point though, right?" Kaidou asked.

Kyouko nodded. "She needs to be confident to use the technique. It relies a lot on precise timing. Ogata doubts herself too much; she hesitates and it throws everything off. When she stops thinking and just acts instinctively instead, it works just fine. Also, it's taxing for her to keep it up. Everyone has a flinch reflex when a ball comes flying at their face; Ogata has to suppress it completely to use Queen's Territory. She can only do so for so long before her mental state deteriorates and she starts flinching again, breaking her rhythm."

"Nyaruhodou~"

"Hmm? Isn't that Ryuuzaki-sensei's granddaughter?" Momoshiro suddenly spoke up, pointing to a figure two courts away who was walking out of court A, her head low. "I guess she lost?" Kyouko glanced at the first year's opponent; Ushimaru Azumi, last year's reserve player.

"It can't be helped," Inui said, popping out of nowhere. "She had potential. Her opponent was just too far above her level."

"Poor girl," Kikumaru remarked. "Bad luck, bad luck."

"What?" Yui followed behind. "Ushimaru's played already? That means I don't have to play her, right?"

"Right," Kyouko smirked. "You got lucky today. You'll have to play her eventually, though."

Yui simply shuddered. "I hate playing against that girl."

"Is she that good, senpai?" Kaidou asked.

"Just really annoying to play," Yui replied. "You know how everyone makes mistakes? Hit the ball just a little too hard or too soft, or reached a little bit too far?" She paused to glance at the third year in question. "Ushimaru doesn't make those mistakes. Her form and technique is perfect. She can hit a can on the other side of the court ten out of ten times."

"Woah, seriously?" Kikumaru's eyes bugged out a bit. "That's like Oishi! Well, except he makes a few mistakes sometimes, but then everyone does! How can Ushimaru-chan _never_ make any mistakes?"

"Maybe not _never_," Yui amended. "But she's never made a mistake that's cost her a match. To her, every ball is a chance ball. To win, you have to either hit a ball that she can't physically return, or outsmart her. And as Inui will tell you, the latter is very, very difficult."

Inui adjusted his glasses. "Indeed. She has an excellent memory; once she sees a shot and figures out how to return it, she will never forget how to."

"Well," Yui added, "it's not like she's invincible or anything. Also, if you put an irregular spin on the ball, or make it bounce weird, you can trip her up. But usually she can adjust within a few points." She grimaced. "We called her the puppeteer. Because she could make us run wherever she wanted. You didn't feel like you had a choice to move any other way."

"Wow..." Momoshiro whistled. "I kinda want to play her, now."

"Don't. She hates guys like you the most. She'll crush you."

"Hey, what's that supposed to mean?!"

"What about me?" Ushimaru appeared out of nowhere from behind them, startling them all.

"MAKE SOME NOISE WHEN YOU MOVE, DAMMIT."

* * *

_Court B_

"Yamato, stop." Yui's voice broke through their game. "You can leave. Osakada, stay."

Tomoka blinked. "Wait... Am I playing Shibata-fukubuchou?"

Yui raised an eyebrow. "Is there a problem?"

Instead of the reaction she was expecting, Tomoka leapt up into the air with glee. "Cool! I'm good enough that I get to play the vice-captain! Thank you so much, fukubuchou!"

_Heh,_ Yui thought. _I like this kid. Let's see how far she can go_.

* * *

This was even more fun than the previous game, Tomoka though. Yamato had some skill, but Tomoka had picked up on all her skills and strategies and the game had gotten boring.

Shibata-fukubuchou, on the other hand, seemed to have endless tactics and tricks to keep her on her feet. She was losing and hardly ever scored a point, but she made Shibata work for each point more and more.

* * *

Yui smiled to herself. This girl, without even realizing it, was improving point after point, game after game, at an alarming rate.

* * *

"Tezuka, how are the matches going so far?" Oishi rejoined Tezuka as he moved from court to court, taking notes and jotting down potential candidates.

"Oishi," Tezuka acknowledged. "There is talent and drive in some. At the very least, it's easy to see who's serious about this." He showed the current list to Oishi. Many names were crossed out, but only a few were circled.

"Kawamura Sakura... Ueno Kaoru... Ushimaru Azumi..."

"Mind lowering your volume?" Kyouko interrupted. "We don't need anyone else hearing the list until tomorrow."

"A-ah, sorry..."

They turned back to the Kawamura-Ogata match.

* * *

Now that Rin had found her center again, she was doing very well.

_Just think of it as a practice match. You're playing with Kaoru-chan. Her shots are faster than these. They're trickier. You can return them._ She watched the ball bounce, her eyes locking on the rotation and determining the speed and strength. Her racquet came up at the last instant and she sent the ball across the net to slam into the opposite corner of the court.

"Game, Ogata! Two games to three."

"Geez, how did you get so good all of a sudden?" Sakura whined. "You weren't this good two games ago, senpai."

Rin just smiled. Sakura sighed and tossed the ball up, way up. "Well," she said as she jumped up to meet it, "I guess I'll need to step up my game as well."

Her racquet came down on the ball, and the next thing Rin was aware of was the sound of the fence rattling behind her. She straightened from her receiving position and turned around slowly. The ball was lodged in the fence behind her.

"Fifteen-love!"

"There we go," Yui chuckled from behind the fence. "Sakura's brute force. One of the few things that can sometimes break through even Ushimaru's tennis." Azumi twitched, but nodded grudgingly. As much as it irked her to say it, the little squirt could match her strength when she really tried.

* * *

Physics, when broken into its basic parts, wasn't too complicated on a beginner's level.

If two things had the same mass, and one travelled faster, then it had more energy.

Applied to tennis, this meant that the heavier a shot, the faster the ball would fly.

Apparently, Sakura had the ability to hit very, very heavy shots.

Rin swallowed and moved to the other side of the court to receive the next serve. _She can't keep up those heavy shots forever,_ she thought. _Calm down. Just play like usual_._ It's not a shot you can't return if you look carefully._

Sakura served. Rin lunged for the ball; it bounced in her zone. _Yes!_ In a split second, she saw the ball as though it were moving in slow motion. _Such a fast ball! Can I return it?_ She had to try anyways. She pulled up her racquet and held it with both hands.

The ball made contact with her racquet, and it was flung out of her hands.

"Thirty-love!"

Momoshiro whistled. "That's one strong serve. Do you think Ogata-senpai has a chance of returning it?"

"It doesn't seem like it," Oishi offered.

Yui shook her head. "She'll be able to return it the next time," she announced. She pointed to the girl in question, who, instead of looking downcast as expected, was smiling.

Rin lined up at the baseline again. Sakura served, and the ball came fast as ever. Rin ran for the ball; it bounced in her territory. She smiled. Grabbed the upper frame of the racquet with her left hand. Caught the ball-

\- and _pushed_.

It felt like there was a mountain pushing against her.

_To stand against a heavy force, be a heavier force._

She _heaved._

The ball dropped down on Sakura's side of the court.

"Thirty-fifteen!"

Kyouko nodded approvingly. This was what she wanted to see. Ogata enjoying the game, enjoying playing her opponent and facing down their techniques. Not the shy, clumsy, unconfident girl that constantly hovered over Ueno.

Sakura stared at the ball. "That..." She lifted her eyes to look at Rin, and Rin could have sworn there were _sparkles_. "That was _amazing_, senpai! No one's thought of doing that before!" She smiled. "But that won't work forever." She returned to the baseline. She took a deep and slow breath before bouncing the ball.

Rin watched as Sakura threw the ball high up again, jumping up again, and then gasped when Sakura put _both_ her hands on her racquet. She reached the ball, and Rin, shocked, didn't have the time to react. The fenced clanged behind her.

"Forty-fifteen!"

Sakura smiled. "I told you it wouldn't work forever."

Mutterings broke out around the courts. Most of the games had finished; everyone had gathered around to watch this one.

Rin trembled. _That kind of shot... I can't..._

"It's not that much faster than my falcon drop," Kaoru commented. Rin blinked.

_That's right._ She looked up slowly. _That's right._ Her eyes locked onto Sakura.

_It's not that much faster. And I can return Kaoru-chan's falcon drop._

_I can do this._

Sakura served, and she charged.

* * *

"What the heck is a Falcon Drop?" Momoshiro whispered to Ryoma.

"How should I know?"

* * *

The ball flew close, way too close, and much slower than it should have been. Rin met the ball much later than expected, her racquet already in half-swing, and barely managed to adjust in time. The shot flew up, slow and easy. Sakura hit a winner into the far corner.

"Game, Kawamura! Four games to two."

_A fake_.

After experiencing all of those punishingly fast and heavy shots, everyone had forgotten that Sakura wasn't just brute force; she was a devious little trickster on the courts.

_It's not over_, Rin thought firmly, steeling herself. She'd been caught off guard this time, but she wouldn't be anymore.

_I will not go down like this._

She ran for all she was worth, and managed to hang on to her service game.

"Game, Ogata! Three games to four."

She watched carefully as Sakura lined up another serve-

"Fault!"

\- and blinked, stunned yet again. The ball landed several inches outside the line.

Sakura smiled sheepishly. "Oops. I thought I was extra lucky today when my serves were going in. Guess not."

_Of course_. A two handed serve would give Sakura incredible power, but take away an enormous amount of control and precision. Sakura was effectively just hitting the ball blindfolded as hard as she could.

"Double fault! Love-fifteen!"

Rin's eyes focused again. There was still a chance.

* * *

"Game and match! Won by Kawamura, six games to four."

In the end, Sakura's endurance that allowed her to keep on hitting heavy shots and wear Rin down won her the match. The two girls met at the net and shook hands, Sakura smiling brightly, Rin giving a small, gentle smile. Kaoru identified it as one of her fake smile; having worked at her grandparents' ryokan, Rin was the master of fake smiles.

When Rin reached the gates of the courts, she arrived to clapping.

"That was amazing, Ogata-san!"

"Charging straight for the ball like that, I don't think I could have done that..."

"You're so brave, Ogata-san!"

"So smart as well! Every time Kawamura-chan threw something at you, you figured out how to return it so quickly!"

Kyouko stepped up to face her and smiled. "You played well, Ogata."

Rin couldn't help the fluttering in her heart. She'd lost, but... This time, it was okay.

* * *

Sakura was exhausted. She turned to drag herself off the court, when the captain's voice reached her ears. What she heard made her want to cry.

"Kawamura, stay. You're playing me next."

"Eeeeh, buchou, but I just played two and a half matches in a row!" she whined, flopping down to sit on the court. "Can I have a break?" That was a reasonable request, right? Everyone else had finished their matches and was gravitating towards their court C.

Kyouko stared at her, making her fidget. "You may. Tezuka, take her name off the list." She began to walk off the court.

"Aaaah wait, wait wait wait!" Sakuran scrambled to get up. "I'll play, I'll play! Don't take my name off the list!"

Kyouko stopped and made her way to the baseline. "You can leave when you score a point against me. You will serve all the balls."

Sakura stared at her, slightly miffed. She wasn't so bad that she couldn't score a single point! It wouldn't take that long. With that in mind, she went to the baseline.

She served the ball, hard and fast.

Kyouko returned it even faster, hitting the ball right by her before she could react.

"Next."

Sakura grit her teeth. Tossing the ball up, she jumped as high as she could, and slammed her two-handed serve. It went in-

\- and Kyouko returned it with a precise backhand, only stopping for a second when the ball pushed against her racquet. It landed between Sakura's feet and bounced away.

The crowd behind them started murmuring. They'd seen the vice-captain play and easily defeat her and wondered what her true strength would be like. They'd wondered what the captain, someone whom Shibata had never beaten even once, would be like. They were getting a small glimpse today.

"Next ball, Kawamura. Hurry up or we'll be here all night."

Sakura really wanted to cry.

* * *

"Hey, Tezuka, isn't Kuroi-chan being a bit too harsh?" Eiji asked tentatively. "I mean, Sakura-chan's had to play the most matches today, and she's all tired out, and Kuroi-chan's in tip-top condition. How can this be a fair match?"

Behind him, Momoshiro and Oishi nodded their agreement. Kawamura was busy pressed up against the fence, watching his baby sister with worried eyes that looked like he was going to start crying every time she tripped or stumbled.

"It isn't." The regulars turned around to see Yui emerging from the clubroom, towel-drying her wet hair. "Thanks, Tezuka." She dropped a set of keys into his open hand and turned to the rest of the regulars. "You think tennis is a clean game? In the nationals, the games are more than half simply mindfucking." She gestured to Sakura. "But that's not the point. Kawamura-chan and Kyouko have something in common with their play styles; it uses a lot of stamina. Once that runs out, it's over."

She walked up to the fence and patted Kawamura's shoulder.

"Kyouko runs 16 miles every day, you know," she added. "Eight in the morning and eight before dinner. And she runs more whenever she can. I hate playing against her, because it always drags out for so long and my legs become jelly after." She watched the match for another minute and added, "If it's any consolation, she's actually pretty serious right now. She must really think Kawamura-chan has a lot of potential. I think she's just trying to figure out how far she's willing to go."

"Still..." Kawamura bit his lip, worrying it.

Yui sighed and slapped his arm. "Relax. I'll step in if she goes too far."

Kawamura stopped biting his lip, but he still looked worried.

* * *

"Hey, they've been at it for over 50 minutes now."

"Incredible. How does that squirt have so much energy?"

"I'd have given up half an hour ago."

"Still, it's amazing that Kuroi doesn't seem to be tired at all."

"She hasn't had to run around that much, though. Kawamura looks like she's going to fall over any minute now. Her shots are so weak, Kuroi doesn't even have to hit them hard to get them past her."

Kawamura gripped the fence tightly, unaware of the creaking sound it was making until Yui rapped her knuckles on his hand.

Indeed, Sakura looked like she was going to just roll over very soon. Her eyes were only half-open, her stance sluggish. Her serves hit the net a third of the time.

But Kyouko could see it – the look in the second year's eyes. They were the kind that didn't hold fire; they held lightning, ready to burst out. Lightning couldn't be extinguished – it could only be released. And Sakura was nearing that point.

The captain watched with sharp, focused eyes as Sakura served the ball one more time. Kyouko hit it to her left.

Sakura watched the ball draw near.

Something in her burst.

She raised her racquet.

Mustered up all her energy.

The ball hit her racquet.

She jumped from her right foot.

Kept the ball on her racquet.

And swung with all her might.

The ball dropped down behind Kyouko. She didn't give chase.

And the crowd behind them went wild.

Finally, Sakura sank into blissful darkness with the knowledge of her success.

"AMAZING! Momo, Ochibi, Tezuka! Fuji, Inui! Kaidou! Oishiiiii! Did you see that? Did you see that? What was that shot?" Eiji jumped around, riding on the emotional high of the buzzing crowd. Yui sstared in disbelief. _Did you see that potential in her, Kyouko? Or are you just as surprised as I am?_

"To think that such a little brat could hit a jack knife... She's one special kid, that's for sure," Yui admitted. She followed Kawamura, who had run onto the court the moment his sister had fallen.

"Jack knife?" Kaidou repeated. "Is that the move Kawamura's sister pulled off, Inui-senpai?"

"Jack knife. A highly advanced two-handed shot executed by using the weight of the body and the momentum from the jump to maximize power," Inui explained. "It's not a move an ordinary high-school student can pull off. Even some professionals have trouble with it."

The crowd took that in as they watched Kawamura hold his sister up. Yui took out her water bottle and splashed some water on the second year's face, waking her up. Upon regaining consciousness, Sakura grabbed Yui's water bottle and drained it within seconds. Yui grimaced as she took her water bottle back, muttering something about throwing it into a pool of sanitizer.

Kyouko approached them and Kawamura pulled back slightly, but Yui placed a reassuring hand on his arm and whispered something that made him stay.

Kyouko took out a spare towel that she'd retrieved from her bag and placed it around Sakura's neck. "Sakura," she asked casually as she adjusted the towel, "what are your measurements?" She stepped back.

"Huh?" Sakura deadpanned, taking a sip from the new water bottle her brother had offered her. "Senpai, you're not a pervert or something are you?"

Kyouko whacked Sakura gently with her own towel. "No, insolent kouhai. I need them for your jersey."

Sakura froze for a moment-

-and then flung herself onto Kyouko, giving her a big hug.

"FOR REAL? I'M ON THE TEAM?"

Kyouko sighed in reassignment and patted her fellow brunette on the head. "Yes, you are."

Sakura squealed and squeezed even harder, not hearing the sharp intake of breath from her victim. "THANK YOU SO MUCH, KUROI-BUCHOU!"

There was some good-natured grumbling, but Sakura was rather popular among the girls, and after the matches she'd played, no one could say she didn't deserve it. The rest of the regulars filed in to congratulate her.

"Congratulations, Sakura-chan!" Eiji beamed. "You deserved it after all Kuroi-chan put you through!" He shuddered. "If Tezuka did that to me, I think I'd just roll over and die. But you kept on going! And you pulled off a jack knife, too! That's incredible!"

"Hmm?" Sakura smiled cluelessly. "Jack knife? What's that?" Kyouko's eyes sharpened.

_Could it possibly be...?_

* * *

"Well," Yui announced, glancing at the list of candidates, "I think we pretty much know who most of our regulars are going to be, but if anyone has any recommendations, let's hear them now."

"Taka-san's sister's spot is already confirmed, right?" Oishi asked.

"Yup."

"I thought Ueno-chan was really impressive!" Kikumaru chirped.

"Yes, she's on the list as well," Kyouko confirmed.

"What about Ogata-senpai?" Kaidou asked.

"That's right, her Queen's Territory was really neat," Momoshiro agreed. "And she was really adaptable."

"…" Kyouko and Yui exchanged a glance. "We're considering her," the former finally said. "Since Ueno is on the team, Ogata is an acceptable choice, but… She's missing something crucial."

"Confidence in herself, right?" Fuji mused. "She doubts herself so much that she stops trying sometimes."

Kyouko nodded. "She'll be useless if she can't get over her dependence on Ueno."

Inui pushed his glasses up. "I would like to recommend someone as well, although there's a 84% chance that she is already being considered; Ushimaru Azumi."

"That weird girl?" Momoshiro whispered to Ryoma, who shrugged. He wasn't good with names.

"Yes, she's on the list as well." Kyouko scanned the list once more. "We need one more, then."

"One?" Kawamura spoke up. "But that's just seven players. Wouldn't it be better to have a reserve player handy, just in case?"

"Ah… The rest of you haven't met her yet, have you?" Kyouko smiled. "Our third regular."

"Third… Regular?" Momoshiro echoed.

"Well, don't worry about it." Yui waved a hand casually. "All you need to know is that three spots are taken, and we only need five." She referred to her list again. "So far we have Kawamura junior, Ueno, Ogata,and Ushimaru."

"In that case, may I recommend someone?" Fuji spoke up. "Osakada Tomoka."

"Ah, that first year," Kawamura remembered.

Kyouko blinked. "A first year? Oh, the one you played, Yui?"

Yui smirked, nodding. "Isn't it fine? We made an exception for Nishimiya last year. I'll vouch for Fuji's recommendation."

"I'll trust your judgement, then." Kyouko circled one last name on the sheet. "That's that, then. Thank you for your help. We'll announce the results before practice tomorrow morning. Dismissed!"

* * *

**A/N**

Inspired by fyerigurl's To Catch a Falling Star and Neon Genesis' 250 Dark Stars/Kick Drum Hearts. Both are addicting and have epic characterization that makes me all weepy from how beautiful and touching it is. I hope this story isn't too similar, because I do admit to drawing inspiration from those stories; please tell me if something feels like plagiarism, and please remember that I would never plagiarism knowingly.

**This chapter has been rewritten. This is the new version.**

So. This first chapter is more of a get-all-the-new-OCs-in meet-and-greet chapter. I had the first version of this story up to chapter five written, which covers all the way up to the first round of matches in the tournament. Those will be re-written before I post them. This time, I have a much better grasp of their character and tennis style.

Future chapters will not be this long, ahahaha. I just couldn't break it off at a good point.

Now, for the (important) OCs that have showed up this chapter:

Kuroi Kyouko (黒井馨子) – 3rd year, age 17. Team captain. Took her team to the nationals last year, and was the reserve player on the champion team the year before that.

Shibata Yui (篠田右泉) – 3rd year, age 17. Vice captain. Known as she "Queen of the third years." In the same class as Tezuka.

Nishimiya Haruka (西宮羽香) – 2nd year, age 16. Was part of the previous year's team. Quiet. Always listening to music. A tennis prodigy.

Ushimaru Azumi (丑円杏) – 3rd year, age 16. Student council vice-president. Skipped a grade. Not very friendly, but still considered reliable. Has a twin that was held back a year (Natsuki). Has the most precise shots.

Ueno Kaoru (上野郁) – 2nd year, age 16. Played against Yui. Uses tennis based off of dance and gymnastics. Has a serve called Backlash that shoots back towards the net.

Ogata Rin (押方梨) – 3rd year, age 17. Friends with Kaoru (the girl). Uses Queen's Territory. Low self confidence.

Kawamura Sakura (河村桜) – 2nd year, age 16. Kawamura Takashi's younger sister. Super cheerful and friendly. Hits very strong shots and has a lot of stamina. Also very tricky and clever.


	2. Practice and Protests

**Warnings:** OCs. OCs everywhere. OC-centric, but not all on one OC. A couple of OC/canon pairings. Profanity. In the future, mature themes/discussion/implications but nothing explicit past kissing and groping. When something comes up it will be mentioned here.

**Word Count:** ~9k

**Summary:** "Budget cuts due to underperformance in the previous years causes the Seigaku girl's tennis team to share training space and time with the boy's team. Sparks will fly, people will be set on fire and poisoned, and they might just make it to the end if they cooperate. A Seigaku girls' tennis team fanfic, set during their high-school years. Because I refuse to believe that those brats are in middle school."

* * *

**All That Glitters**

_Chapter 2 - Practice and Protests_

* * *

_We found wonderland_  
_You and I got lost in it_  
_And we pretended it could last forever_

\- Wonderland, Taylor Swift

* * *

_Before Morning Practice_

"Hey, buchou, can I come in?"

Kyouko, Tezuka, and Oishi looked up from their papers. Kawamura Sakura stood in the doorway, hanging off the doorframe. Yui and Haruka didn't even look up.

"You're here early," Oishi observed. "Is Taka-san already here?"

"Yep! I left with Onii-chan this morning. Dad was super proud that I'd made the team!" She smiled broadly, tilting her head slightly. "So what are you all up to, senpai-tachi, Haruka-chan?" Haruka twitched slightly.

"We're filling out forms for the tennis team," Oishi explained. "Kuroi-san will be announcing the finalized regulars this morning. But, ah, Kuroi-san..."

"Like I said, call me by my first name or don't use an honorific," Kyouko sighed. "I always look for my father when you talk to me. Don't worry, I have a plan for the rabid fangirls. Your virtue – along with those of your teammates – will be safe."

Oishi's face coloured at an amusing rate and he returned to the list.

"A-anyways," he continued, "are you sure you don't want to look over this again, Shibata-san?" No on replied. When he looked up, Yui wasn't in the room. "Eh? Where did Shibata-san go?"

Kyouko grinned impishly. "To see Sakura-chan's big brother."

* * *

"Taka-san!" Kawamura looked up from locking his bike into the school bike racks to see Yui walking towards him. "You don't mind me calling you that, right?" She smiled a small smile, tilting her head a fraction to the side, and jutted a hip out.

"Ah, not at all, Shibata-san," Kawamura replied, blushing. He wondered what the popular and well sought after vice captain would want with him. _Probably something about Sakura._

"Then call me Yui-chan," she beamed, leaning against the bike racks. "Anyways, I just wanted to chat. I really like your voice."

"E-eh?" Kawamura blush profusely, unsure of how to reply. He didn't think he was bad looking or anything, but since he hung out with people like Fuji and Tezuka, he wasn't usually the center of attention. "Um. Thank you?"

Yui laughed at his lost expression and leaned forward, letting her hair fall forwards; she'd decided to let it down today.

"Yep, I think I like you after all. Although your little sister is pretty cute as well, you know." She straightened up away from the bike racks. "Man, your family's genes are unfair."

Kawamura's mind blanked out. Was she saying-

Yui smirked and leaned forward, giving him a quick peck on the cheek. "See you around." She walked away with an extra swing in her hips, humming and dancing to a song playing in her head.

* * *

"Thank you for waiting." Kyouko faced the crowd gathered outside of the courts. "We will now announce the new regulars for the girl's tennis team."

"Shibata Yui, Nishimiya Haruka, and myself."

"Who's Nishimiya?" someone whispered.

"Oh, I remember her. She was the miracle first year that was on the team last year," someone else answered.

"Kawamura Sakura." No surprise there.

"Ueno Kaoru." Kaoru smirked. Despite losing, it looked like she'd managed to impress Shibata enough.

"Ogata Rin." Rin let out the breath she'd been holding. She'd made it, despite losing.

"Her?" someone snorted. "She won't last in an official match. Ogata can never take the pressure." A ripple of snickers spread throughout the crowd, and Rin felt her cheeks redden.

"Quiet," Yui snapped, and the crowd hushed.

Kyouko continued. "Ushimaru Azumi." General mutters of agreement; Ushimaru had been on last year's team after all, even if she'd been the reserve player.

"Your name is Azumi, senpai? It's such a nice name!" Sakura gushed, suddenly standing right beside Azumi. Everyone around them cringed, waiting for the easily irritable vice-president to give her trademark glare and verbally eviscerate her. Instead, Azumi simply adjusted her glasses and tried her best to ignore the second year.

"And last but not least, Osakada Tomoka." Tomoka squealed and leapt up and down with joy, hugging Sakuno, who stood beside her.

"I made it! I actually made it!"

"Congratulations, Tomo-chan," Sakuno smiled, trying to hide the pang of shame and hurt. Tomoka hadn't won a single match, but she'd been selected.

Kyouko handed her papers to Yui.

"Congratulations to those who were chosen. We thank everyone who showed up to the try-outs. That's all for this morning. Practice resumes tomorrow morning at seven, on the courts. Don't be late." She started to leave when a voice stopped her.

"Hey, wait! I object to this!" A girl pushed her way to the front of the crowd, another girl following behind but trying to stop her. Kyouko recognized the former as Kirio Himari, and the latter as Watanabe Io, both third years that she had dismissed early on during yesterday's tryouts.

She knew Watanabe was the president of the Tezuka Kunimitsu fanclub, thanks to a run-in the previous year when all the fangirls had assumed that she was trying to get closer to the boy's team. Unfortunately, her tennis wasn't adequate.

"What's the problem?" she asked. The former was happy to explain.

"Okay, so I get that those that played matches in the tryouts got evaluated by a whole bunch of people, and I trust your judgment-"

_Sure you do._

"- and we all saw you and Shibata-fukubuchou play, so we get that you're awesome-"

"Damn right I am," Yui muttered.

"- but I object to Nishimiya being a regular!" Kirio pointed a manicured finger at Haruka, who, as usual, had music in her ears and was oblivious to the world. Kirio ignored Watanab's hiss of "Drop it, Himari!" and shook her off. "She's just a second year, and we didn't see her play, and besides, she's the reason why we lost to Hyoutei last year-"

The temperature dropped several degrees. The male regulars, who'd been eavesdropping, shuddered. Yui didn't care about Haruka, but bringing up their loss from the previous year was always enough to piss her off. And Haruka, on the other hand, turned to look at Kyouko with the same lost look she'd held after losing the previous year.

Kyouko closed her eyes and regulated her breath, resisting the urge to strangle one Kirio Himari. She opened her eyes slowly and her gaze moved to rest on said girl.

"What?" Kirio snapped. "Everyone knows it." Watanabe had seemingly given up on trying to restrain Kirio and had retreated back into the crowd, shaking her head.

"As captain," Kyouko began, speaking slowly as though Kirio wouldn't be able to understand common vocabulary, "I take full responsibility for the loss. I was aware that Nishimiya was not in good condition, but I placed her in a strategically stressful and physically stressful position. The loss is my fault. End of story."

"She looked perfectly fine to me," Kirio retorted.

"That is for me to decide." Her frosty tone shut the third year up briefly. However, Kirio apparently could not read the mood.

"But-"

"_And if you bring it up again, I will kick you out of the club myself. Understood?_"

"... Yes."

Kyouko sighed.

"But you have a point. You haven't seen her play. Would you like to, then?"

"Wh-what?" Kirio was lost.

"I said, would you like to see her play?"

"I- um, sure?"

"Alright then. Haruka, you're up." She raised her voice. "Tezuka, we're borrowing a court." Tezuka nodded in acknowledgement and Kyouko snickered internally. So the star student knew how to eavesdrop. She then turned to Kirio, who was still staring at her. "What are you waiting for, an invitation? Get on the court."

"Huh?"

Kyouko rolled her eyes.

"Are you having difficulty understanding my words or something? I'm using basic vocabulary here. Get. On. The Court."

"B-but-"

"_Move it._"

Kirio moved it.

Ten minutes later, Haruka creamed Kirio 6-0 in front of the combined girl's and boy's tennis clubs. Watanabe had to help her out.

There were no more objections, and Kirio handed in her resignation the next day.

* * *

"Hey, Oishi?"

"Yes, Eiji?"

"You know, I thought Shibata-chan or maybe Ushimaru-chan was the scary one, but now I think I'm more scared of Kuroi-chan."

"... I think I probably have to agree with you, Eiji."

* * *

_The Next Morning_

"Onii-chan, hurry up!" Sakura waited impatiently by the sliding doors of the sushi restaurant, hopping from one foot to another. "We'll be late!"

"Sakura, calm down," Kawamura pleaded. "We still have lots of time. Practice doesn't start until seven." Sakura simply hopped faster.

"I need a lot more time, you know! I've got to change and decorate my locker and chat with Azumi-chan" – she took a deep breath – "and bug Kuroi-buchou about the uniforms because there's no way I'm wearing it if it's as hideous as Kakinoki's uniform." Kawamura laughed.

"Did you make a list last night or something? I've never seen you this cheerful in the morning before."

"Yep!" Sakura pulled said list out of her school bad and waved it around. Kawamura sighed.

"Why does that not surprise me...? "

* * *

"Hey, we were on this court first!"

"We need it more!"

"So what? We're already playing a game!"

"Go hit against a wall or something, it'll be more effective!"

"What did you say?!"

Kyouko and Tezuka stared silently at the scene that was morning practice. Oishi fidgeted nervously.

"Um... Shouldn't we do something?" he proposed.

"... No," Kyouko answered. "Wait for all the regulars from both teams to get here. I'll handle it from there."

Currently, Sakura and Rin were sitting on the sidelines, Rin listening to Sakura rant about something and smiling.

Kaoru was arguing with a male second year over who got the court. Azumi, who'd been her opponent, looked two seconds away from throwing the ball in her hand at a particularly delicate part of the guys Kaoru was arguing with.

Tomoka stood to the side, chatting with her friend Sakuno and stretching.

Haruka had informed Kyouko that she would be late ad was currently absent.

The male regulars were in a small group next to Oishi, unwilling to step into the fenced off court that now housed a pack of fangirls. If it wasn't for Kyouko's presence, they would probably have all been swarming the male regulars now.

Finally, Yui arrived, after having dropped her younger brother off at their elementary school division. Kyouko nodded once in acknowledgement and pointed her chin in the direction of the courts. Yui sighed, but obeyed the silent command and stepped up to follow her captain into the tennis courts. Tezuka and Oishi followed.

Entering the court, Kyouko stopped right inside the door and crossed her arms. She took a few moments to take in everything, and then took a deep breath in. Yui placed her hands over her ears.

"GIRL'S TENNIS TEAM, LINE UP!"

The regulars and most of the members that had tried out for a regular spot (which was about 90% of the club, more or less) scrambled to obey. The rest were slower about it.

"You, you and you." Kyouko pointed to the last three to line up. "Ten laps, now." They started to protest. "Fifteen." She arched her eyebrow at them, in a way that seemed to communicate, _I can keep on raising the number, and I will if you don't move your asses, right now_.

The girls ran for it.

She turned around to see that the boy's tennis club had also lined up under Tezuka's command. Leaving Yui in charge of the girl's side, she headed over to the boys.

"Thank you, Tezuka." She turned to stand facing the boys. "Right then. As you must have heard by now, the girl's tennis team will be sharing space and practice time with the boys this year. I understand many of you are unhappy about this."

"Damn right!" one of the members shouted, but he was quickly hushed by a glare from Tezuka. Kyouko smiled, amused.

"The main reason that many of you are unhappy over this is because you think the girl's team is full of fangirls that don't take tennis seriously, and only want to get closer to your regulars, right?" There was a murmur of consent, as her audience wondered what she was up to. "You feel as though this will be a waste of everyone's time and might impact your performance.

"Well, you have a point." A wave of indignant mutters arose up from the female side, quieted by a sharp "Shut it!" from Yui. "But you are also wrong. Within my club, there are plenty that are serious about tennis, and will be willing to prove it to you.

"So I offer you this chance. Each of you may challenge a member of the girl's tennis club. If the girl is unable to win three or more games from you, she will leave the club." Now there were eager glances and whispers from the male side, and a few angry and worried hisses from the female side. "However! This rule will also apply to you as well. If you cannot win three or more games, you will leave the boy's tennis club." Some one laughed, as though the thought of being unable to win three games off a girl was ludicrous. Kyouko simply smiled.

"Tezuka, is this okay?" Oishi asked worriedly. Tezuka simply nodded.

"The regulars on the boy's team were kind enough to volunteer as referees," Kyouko added.

"We what?" That was Kikumaru.

"After today, if you do not take up my offer, you lose your right to argue about this arrangement. So, which one of you will be first?" Kyouko surveyed the crowd. A hand came up. The boy attached made his way to the front. Smirking confidently, he pointed at her.

"I challenge you."

Two courts away, Yui burst out laughing.

Ten minutes later, the boy left the courts – and the club – after losing 6-0.

* * *

Sakuno ran after the ball and just managed to return it, but the third year she was playing quickly hit a forehand to the other side of the court.

"Game, Saitou, two games to love."

Sakuno gripped her racquet. Why did this happen to her? Why was this captain doing these things? Already, some of her friends that honestly wanted to just improve and play tennis for fun had been kicked out of the club, because they hadn't been able to stand against a male third year with a point to prove.

Tomoka had lost her game 6-4, and so was safe. But if this kept up, Sakuno would be out of the club.

It wasn't fair. Tomoka had started later than her. If Tomoka could do it, then so could she.

With that in mind, she tightened her grip and prepared to receive the serve.

Her opponent served the ball. She ran for it, and hit it as hard as she could. It zoomed past the startled third year. Return ace.

_I can do this_.

(She lost 6-3, but that was good enough for her.)

* * *

Yui didn't bother holding back at all and completely creamed the guy that challenged her within fifteen minutes, then went to punch Kyouko for not telling her about this plan.

* * *

Kaoru (the girl) was relentless, flipping and spinning and moving for all she was worth. She was going to put this sexist bastard in his place.

* * *

No one challenged Sakura for fear of angering her brother.

Likewise, no one dared to challenge their infamous student council vice-president. Azumi was left alone to nurse her headache from Sakura's constant attempts at conversation.

* * *

Haruka showed up thirty minutes after the matches had begun and was challenged right away. Like Yui and Kyouko, she showed no mercy.

* * *

Kyouko was pleased to see that several of the boys had been forced to leave the club; it left them with about 23 members. Most of the fangirls that evidently hadn't been serious about tennis had been taken care of as well; about half of the girl's team had been forced to leave, leaving about 20 members including the eight regulars.

With this, there was just barely enough room for all of them in the courts. Both clubs ended practice early.

* * *

_Class 1-2_

"Wow, Tomoka, you made it as a regular! That's amazing!"

"You just started tennis a little while ago, right? That's unbelievable!"

"You're like a female Echizen!"

Tomoka grinned, giving the victory sign.

"It's the power of love! Kuroi-buchou says I'm not that good right now, but I've got lots of potential. I'll represent us freshman, and maybe next year they'll consider more first years!" Unlikely, but not impossible.

Two seats away, Sakuno smiled at her best friend. Tomoka shone in the spotlight, reveling in the attention without being overly haughty or conceited. She was a people person, and was naturally charismatic. Sakuno, on the other hand, felt like a wallflower next to her. But that was okay, because Tomoka always made her feel special. Like right now, Tomoka had left the crowd of admiring first years to plonk down in the seat in front of her.

"Sakuno! Did you see practice this morning? It was crazy!" She launched into a crazy tale about a demon captain and her minions that had forced some of the boys to leave the tennis team – forgetting that Sakuno had been there, and had been fighting desperately to stay in the club. But Tomoka's rendition of the event was so silly it made her laugh. Tomoka would always be Tomoka.

* * *

_Class 3-11_

"Ushimaru," the teacher announced as he placed her test on her desk. "Good work; your test score was the second best in the class." Azumi pushed her glasses up and nodded. She turned her test over to review her mistakes. She knew who had beaten her; Inui Sadaharu. He had photographic memory and an actual interest in the sciences, both of which allows him to always score over 95% in math and science related subjects. She settled for being content that she could beat him in arts and Japanese.

In the desk next to her, Watanabe Io stared out the window.

"Watanabe." The teacher placed her test on her desk and she winced at the red 42% that was scrawled on the top of her page. She was going to get hell at home. She glanced at Azumi. _Perhaps_…?

* * *

_Class 3-1_

"Shibata-chan, help!"

"Shibata-san, could you…"

"Shibata-sama!"

"Shibata-san!"

As usual, Yui's desk was crowded during the few minutes before class started after lunch, with fellow classmates begging for help for this homework or that assignment.

"Alright already, calm down!" Yui sighed, digging out her physics homework. She threw it at the crowd, grumbling. "Here, you leeches. If I don't get it back in perfect condition in five minutes, I'm never letting any of you copy off of me again." There was a mad scramble as the class hurried to check their answers/copy some answers. Yui turned to smile at Tezuka, who was giving her a disapproving look.

He never said anything, though, because her sacrifice kept them from asking him, the number one student in the class, instead.

* * *

_Afternoon Practice_

"Everyone, start off with stretching!" Kyouko announced. "Girls, find a guy to pair with."

"Eeeeh? Why?" Sakura cried, dismayed. "I wanted to stretched with Azumi-chan!"

Azumi felt a rush of gratitude towards Kyouko.

"Because I said so. Move your ass."

"Is that her catchphrase or something?" Kaoru muttered, as she headed towards the boys. "Oi! Momoshiro. Pair up with me."

"E-eh? Oh, okay... ?" Momoshiro blinked, surprised, and partially pleased that he'd been the first to be picked.

Tomoka immediately ran to Echizen. "Ryoma-kun, be my partner?" she asked exuberantly.

"... Fine," Ryoma sighed. They were similar in height, at least. That would make some of the stretches easier.

"Yaaay!" Tomoka cheered.

Sakura sighed unhappily and ran over to brother. "Hey, onii-chan, can we-" She was about to ask her brother to partner up, but Yui reached him before her.

"Hey, Taka-san, pair up with me?" she smiled, tilting her head and placing a hand on her hip.

"A-ah, okay," Kawamura agreed. "Yoroshiku."

Sakura pouted, dismayed, when a weight fell on her back.

"Sakura-chan! I'll pair up with you!" Kikumaru beamed.

"Kikumaru-senpai! Okay!" Sakura beamed back.

"Mouu, Kikumaru-senpai sounds too formal! Call me Eiji!"

Rin approached Kaidou hesitantly. "Kaidou-kun, would you like to be my partner?" she asked hesitantly.

"Fssshhuuu. Fine," he replied in his usual grumpy way, but turned around so she couldn't see the light blush on his face.

Fuji smiled gently at Haruka."Nishimiya-san, would you mind partnering up?" Haruka simply nodded wordlessly.

Oishi was surprised to find Kyouko suddenly in front of him.

"Would you mind?" she asked, smiling. "I won't be participating in some of the practice, but it's best to stretch anyways.

"O-oh, yes, you're right. Of course not." He glanced over to see who Tezuka's partner was; Ushimaru Azumi.

They nodded to each other politely as they settled into their proper positions.

* * *

Momoshiro stared in amazement as Kaoru more or less folded her body in half at the waist, her fingertips extending over a foot past her upright toes.

"I guess this is the norm for an acrobatic player," he mused, only to get a jab in the arm holding her down.

"It's dance, not acrobatics! I'm no monkey!" she snapped.

"Okay, okay, I'm sorry!" Momoshiro exclaimed, backing off. Kaoru sighed.

"This stretching is useless," she muttered. "I don't feel it at all." Ignoring Momoshiro, she stood up and bent backwards instead, her body forming a large C. She then reverted to a normal standing position, before beckoning Momoshiro to come closer. "Grab my foot and raise it until I say stop," she ordered. He blinked, dumbfounded, until she threatened to kick him in the nuts. He quickly complied.

"Higher!" she urged when he stopped part of the way up. He stared at her in awe as he raised her leg almost 150 degrees from her other leg on the ground. Her supporting leg was completely straight.

* * *

Tomoka slid into the stretches relatively easily, chatting away to Ryoma. She was naturally flexible to some extent. It was the same story for Rin, who completed her stretches silently with Kaidou.

Sakura was less flexible, and winced as Kikumaru pushed down harder than she could bear.

"Eiji-senpai, not so low! I'm not as flexible as you!"

"Ahh! Gomen, gomen!" He eased up on the pressure.

* * *

Kawamura was discovering that Yui could be _very_ flexible, and tried not to blush every time she sent him a suggestive look. When it was time to switch, she laughed and apologized.

"Your reactions were so cute; I couldn't resist."

That, of course, didn't help.

* * *

Haruka was one of the more flexible ones as well, but she was much quieter than Kaoru.

"So, do you have any siblings? I have a little brother. I don't think he likes me very much, though."

"... No."

"You're always listening to music, aren't you? What type of music do you like?"

"... No preference."

"Do you like cacti?"

"... "

Of course, this only made Fuji even more intrigued and determined to get a full conversation out of her.

Azumi winced as Tezuka pressed down a tad bit too much. Tezuka, being who he was, noticed immediately and lightened the pressure.

"I apologize," he murmured.

Azumi just shook her head. "It's fine. I've been following the advice you gave me back in first year; this is already a pretty big improvement."

"Ah. Consistency is good when applied correctly," Tezuka nodded. "But don't let your guard down. Don't stretch further than is safe. A torn muscle can take you out of commission for a lot longer that you think."

"Of course," Azumi murmured, turning to hide the small grin. Tezuka was the same, even in tennis.

* * *

Kyouko was surprisingly not as flexible as expected in the spine, although she could easily land the splits both ways.

"It helps with running," she explained.

"A-ah, I see. Um..."

"Yes?"

"Why are we doing the stretches together?" Oishi asked. "Not that I mind, but wouldn't everyone be more comfortable with a partner of the same gender?"

Kyouko laughed softly.

"That's the point," she exclaimed. "Most matches will be split by sex. Stretching and running will be the bulk of the time that we actually practice together, activities pending. The more comfortable the two teams feel with each other, the more accepting they'll be of the other's presence. The non-regulars will follow the regular's examples for the most part, so this effectively puts an end to most arguments over space and practice time."

"Ah, I see..."

"... Is what Tezuka said," Kyouko admitted, grinning sheepishly. "I was all for stretching with Yui or Haruka. This is a nice change though," she grinned. "For once, I'm the more flexible one." She glanced at her watch.

"Time to switch!"

* * *

"OW OW OW! STOP PUSHING!" Was heard from Kaoru and Momoshiro's side.

Eiji, of course, had no problems with the stretches. The other regulars, after seeing the flexibility of even the most un-flexible girl, grit their teeth and dealt with the pain as they stretched. For the first time in a while, they all breathed a sigh of relief when it was time for laps.

* * *

"Oi, oi, hurry up! Your pace is dropping! Osakada, Ueno! Pick up your feet!" Kyouko did a very good impression of a drill sergeant. Yui always wondered if her captain was born with that bellow or if she had learned it from her father.

The female regulars had to run 20 laps; the male regulars had to run 30. (Kyouko had grumbled about the number being too low and vowed to raise it quickly). The non-regulars had finished their laps and had been given instructions for the rest of practice.

The regulars were on their 18th lap and Tomoka and Kaoru trailed behind by half a lap. Rin was flagging but had paced herself well and would make it to the end no problem. Sakura seemed to have endless stamina and chatted cheerfully to Kaoru, who didn't have the breath to reply. Kyouko, Yui, Haruka, and Azumi led the pack, used to the routine from the previous year.

After much prodding from Yui, Kyouko had accepted help from Inui to devise a training menu for the girls, similar to the ones he was creating for the boys.

The girls approached the final corner of their last lap. Sakura put on a last burst of energy to cross the finish line at the same time as Azumi, who was right behind Kyouko, Yui and Haruka. Rin followed suite. Tomoka, half a lap behind, suddenly put on a big burst of speed and sprinted to the finish line. She collapsed, wheezing, and gave a victory sign, much to Yui's amusement. Kaoru was the last to cross the line. Similarly, she collapsed next to Tomoka.

Inui approached them, holding two paper cups.

"Osakada, Ueno; the last two to finish. These are for you." The two girls accepted the cups gratefully. Tomoka took a small sip, while Kaoru chugged the whole thing in one go. Inui observed them. 3, 2, 1-

"Oh my god, what is this?!" Tomoka screeched, dropping the cup and fanning her open mouth feverishly. Ueno, who'd swallowed a whole cup, fell to the ground, coughing and hacking.

"I like to call it Inui Juice. It's my own-"

"WHAT DID YOU DO TO KAORU-CHAN?!" Before Inui could finish the sentence, he was tackled to the ground by none other than shy, clumsy Rin. Her hands found their way around his neck and began to squeeze-

"My god, Ogata, stop overreacting," Kaoru wheezed. She pushed Rin off of Inui. "I'm not dead. It just tastes like shit."

"But-" Rin approached Kaoru worriedly, but the second year pushed her away gently.

"I'm fine." She sat down heavily and continued to fan her mouth.

"As I was saying," Inui continued, "from now on, the two who finish last will have to drink a cup of Inui Juice. Don't worry, it's very nutritious and healthy."

_That doesn't matter,_ the girls though as one.

Kyouko watched the whole scene in silence, her eyes narrowing when they landed on Rin. _That girl..._

She gave the girls several minutes' rest while she waited for the boys to finish. After they completed their laps, they joined the girls by the gate to the courts. They surreptitiously avoided the red puddle made from the spilled cup of Inui Juice.

"Ah," Inui muttered. "I didn't see who crossed the finish line last on the boy's side. A shame." All the boys breathed a sigh of relief.

"As you all know, us girls will be taking up some of your space," Kyouko reiterated. "We apologize for the inconvenience and hope you'll bear with us until something else is arranged." She bowed lightly to the male regulars. "In the meantime, Inui decided it would be easier if we all did the same – or at least similar – practice, equipment allowing. This will be easier for him to organize, and collect data."

The first year brat, Echizen, raised an eyebrow.

"Are you sure they'll be able to keep up?" Indeed, most of the female regulars (Kyouko, Yui and Haruka being the exceptions), despite having had several minutes to rest, were still breathing heavily, unused to such high physical activity.

Kyouko swept her eyes over them, displeased. "They will be soon."

Kaoru shuddered at her tone.

Rin stepped forward, surprising everyone.

"Um..."

"Yes?"

"I wanted to apologize to Inui-san," she said quietly. Facing said boy, she bowed deeply. "I apologize for attacking you earlier. I though you were poisoning Kaoru-chan or something."

Behind her, Kaoru t'ched. Momoshiro whistled, impressed. Oshi gave a startled "Eh?" Nobody had been expecting shy, quiet Rin to attack anyone.

"Ah, no worries. There was no damage done," Inui reassured her. She bowed again and retreated back to the rest of the girl's team.

"So," Kyouko continued, "today we'll start off with a game of Queen of the court; King of the court for the boys. Tezuka and I will serve."

"Eeeeh? No fair," Sakura whined. "I want to be a king!"

Kyouko sighed.

"Be whatever you want to be, just get on the court. Kawamura, you can start if you're so eager. Court A."

"Yaaay!" Sakura ran to the court, dragging Kaoru with her. The rest of the regulars followed, except for Yui.

Kyouko raised an eyebrow at her. _What are you waiting for?_

Yui raised one back. _I have to play too?_

Kyouko glared. _Yes._

Yui rolled her eyes but uncrossed her arms and went to join the rest of the regulars in line.

* * *

"Nyaa! King of the court! I wanna start! Can I?" Kikumaru jumped up and down eagerly, waving his arm in the air. Tezuka nodded his consent and the rest of the regulars formed a line on the other side in court B.

The first in line was Kaidou. Tezuka served the ball. Right away, Kaidou hit a snake.

"Bringing the big guns out already, Kaoru-chan?" Kikumaru teased. "But they won't be enough to beat me. Hoi!" With a quick flip, Kikumaru reached the ball and returned it. Kaidou caught the return and sliced it to the other side, but Kikumaru hit an impressive volley while backwards. Kaidou returned it with another snake, but Kikumaru was at the net already and slammed a winner behind Kaidou.

"Fsshuu." Kaidou grunted but accepted his loss without complaint, moving to the back of the line.

Momoshiro was next, and he wasn't as quiet as Kaidou.

"Kaoru-_chan_, hmm? That's right, I'd forgotten your name was so... _Cute_," he teased.

"What did you say?" Kaidou snarled, leaving the line to accost the other second year.

"You heard me, _Kaoru-ch_-" a ball flew by his face at an alarming speed. He backed up, paling. "Woah! Where'd that ball come from?"

As one, the regulars turned to look at the girl's side.

Kaoru (the girl) stood, racquet over one shoulder, glaring at Momoshiro. She'd given up her chance at queen to shut Momoshiro up.

"What did you say about my name, Momojiri?" she asked frostily.

"Ah, no, nothing... Sorry," Momoshiro apologized, not daring to complain about her butchering of his name ("Peach butt?" Yui snorted. "Really?"). Kaoru couldn't see, but Rin was emitting quite the glacial aura beside Kaoru.

Kaidou snorted derisively.

"Lame. Don't start a fight you can't win."

"What was that?" And with that, the two boys were back to arguing each other.

"Geez," Kikumaru whined. "If you guys aren't gonna play, can you move to the end of the line at least?"

* * *

Azumi was the first to win against Sakura, who'd beaten Kaoru and Rin. She ended it with a return ace aimed at Sakura's feet.

"Wow! Azumi-csenpai, you're so strong!" Sakura gushed. Azumi simply made her way to the other side of the court, ignoring the second year. "Can we play a match later? Please, please, please?"

"Kawamura," Kyouko spoke up, amused. "You're blocking the line. We're going to do practice matches later. Move it." Satisfied with that, Sakura went to join Rin at the end of the line.

Haruka was up next; Kyouko served the ball and Azumi hit it to the far corner. Haruka caught up and returned it with an equally precise shot to the opposite corner. For a few minutes, it was a contest of accuracy, until Azumi suddenly dashed to the net and hit a particularly aggressive shot to the baseline. Haruka managed to catch it, and, twisting around while the ball was still on her racquet, slammed the ball down between Azumi's feet.

Azumi sighed, but accepted her loss and moved to the end of the line. Haruka took her place.

Yui stepped up to challenge the queen, and suddenly Haruka's eyes seemed to sharpen. Only three people had gotten that reaction out of Haruka so far, and two were in this school. Kyouko smiled.

_Good. She's finally getting serious_.

* * *

"Oi, oi, is this for real?" Momoshiro, waiting in line for his next turn, stared at the rally going on between Nishimiya Haruka and Shibata Yui. The rest of the regulars who weren't playing observed the rally as well.

"They've been at it for six minutes now," Oishi remarked. The boys had gone through everyone once, with Fuji being the last king. Currently Kikumaru was challenging him.

"Their reaction time is unbelievable," Kawamura remarked. "They're almost moving before the other hits the ball."

"Well, they were on the team together last year. They're probably familiar with each other's play styles," Fuji said, popping out of nowhere.

"Eh? Fuji-senpai, you lost?" Momoshiro exclaimed.

"Ah. This seemed more interesting." 'This' being the Nishimiya-Shibata rally. Fuji watched the rally with open eyes, intrigued.

"Shibata is hitting rising shots at irregular intervals to break Nishimiya's rhythm," Inui noted. "On the other hand, Nishimiya's shots are slightly stronger. Also, neither one is looking at the ball."

It was true, Fuji realized. Momoshiro, Kawamura and Kaidou might not have been able to see it at this distance, but he bet that Echizen could see it too; since the rally had begun, neither girl had so much as glanced at the ball. Both had their eyes fixed firmly on each other.

Fuji wondered what the history was between those two. What could cause Nishimiya to appear so apathetic towards the world, even when playing tennis, and yet have such a determined and desperate expression on her face when she played against Shibata?

And what had happened last year that could place the lost, forlorn expression he'd seen on her face, that day when the third year Watanabe called her out on her loss to Hyoutei?

Nishimiya was a puzzle he was itching to solve. And when Fuji Shuusuke set his sights on something, he usually got it.

* * *

_Wham!_

The ball hit the court and flew into the fence, past Haruka, who instantly adopted her couldn't-care-less expression. Yui smirked triumphantly.

"Looks like it's my win again, Nishimiya." Haruka shrugged expressionlessly.

" 'S not a real game. It was just one point."

Yui simply laughed.

"Whatever makes you feel better."

She went easier on Tomoka, wanting to savor her time as queen. Tomoka was simply content she hadn't been eliminated in one shot. Eventually, though victory wen to Yui again, and all the girls had taken a shot at the game.

Kyouko glanced at her wristwatch.

"Alright, that's time. Take five for water."

"We'll be having practice matches now," Kyouko announced. Sakura squealed, hopping up and down with glee. "Ushimaru and Ogata, court A. Ueno and Kawamura, court B. Yui, Haruka, you two referee and supervise. I'll be back in a minute. Osakada, come with me." She turned around and began walking away from the courts, not waiting for Tomoka, who scrambled to follow. Yui grumbled but went to court A to supervise, leaving court B for Haruka.

* * *

"I'll be honest, Osakada. From what I saw during the tryouts and earlier today, you're nowhere near the level we need you to be for the regionals, let alone the nationals." Kyouko crossed her arms and leaned against the brick wall to stare at Tomoka.

"Well, I _did_ just start tennis like, a month ago," Tomoka defended.

"I know, and your progress is amazing." Kyouko held up two ankle belts. "But we still need to step up your training. From now on, wear these wherever you go, no matter what you're doing. Take them off only right before you go to sleep. I'll be increasing the weight every week." She handed the belts to Tomoka, whose eyes widened when she felt their weight. "Don't worry, I consulted Inui. He chose a safe weight for you to start out with. It's more than what the regulars will be starting with, but I believe you can do it."

"Eeeeh... Fine," Tomoka groaned. _It wasn't a question_, Kyouko thought dryly.

"Also, your backhand swing is weak. Follow this training menu." Kyouko handed her a sheet of paper and watched, amused, as her eyes bugged out.

"Wh-what is this? Am I supposed to finish this in one day?"

"Yes. You'll rejoin the others once I feel you're at an adequate level. Until then, you'll follow this training menu. Feel free to ask another club member to help you. And don't slack off; I'll be testing your progress every day."

Tomoka tried not to cry, and left to track down Sakuno for help.

(Sakuno was willing to help on the condition that Tomoka procure similar ankle weights for her and allowed her to do the same schedule.)

* * *

"Game, Ushimaru! Five games to four."

Rin tried not to panic as she lost point after point against Azumi. Azumi was, in general, a bad opponent for her; they both used similar tactics, staying at the baseline and focusing on returning all shots rather than attacking. But Azumi had better skills than she did, and much higher accuracy, and made much less mistakes.

They'd started out relatively even, but when the score was 4-3 in Rin's favour, Azumi had suddenly stopped playing nice. When Rin wasn't losing points due to her own nerves, she was losing them when Azumi, out of nowhere, hit a much faster and more aggressive shot than usual, catching her off guard.

Rin knew it was an intimidation tactic; it was bad enough the first time when she hadn't seen it coming at all, but it was even worse afterwards, when she couldn't tell when her opponent was going to hit a winner or a normal return. Azumi maintained a perfectly stoic expression, not giving anything away. Sometimes, when the sun hit her glasses right, Rin couldn't see her eyes at all.

This was unlike playing against Sakura, who, for all her absurd strength, was still human, and acted so on the courts. It reminded Rin that she was an opponent that could be beat. Agains Azumi, she felt like she was hitting a wall. The ball came back without fail, every single time. It didn't feel like she was playing against a human. It felt like _she_ was being played.

Azumi hit the ball to a corner and she ran for it, just barely returning it. Azumi sliced it to the other side. Rin turned to go after it, but tripped and fell, scraping her knee slightly. Tears welled up in her eyes from frustration.

Across the court, Azumi didn't return to the baseline. She turned to Yui, who was refereeing the match.

"Shibata. Stop this match. There's no point to this. Ogata doesn't respond to this kind of motivation."

Yui simply arched her eyebrows. "I don't make the rules, honey. Go serve the ball. Ogata, get up."

Azumi's eyes narrowed slightly. "I forfeit." People may have called her creepy, insensitive, or uncaring in different points of her school life, but she was not someone who willingly inflicted unnecessary pain on someone who hadn't done anything wrong.

"You don't get to forfeit, Ushimaru." Kyouko had returned. "You may think you're hurting Ogata, but you're not." She surveyed the two girls. "You aren't insulting her or putting her down. You haven't aimed the ball at her, or even her weak points. If she can't perform even in this setting, she'll buckle under the pressure in an official match."

Azumi stared at Rin's fallen form for a few more moments, before making her way to the baseline, ceding to the captain. As the student council vice-president, she accepted that, on the courts, Kyouko had more authority over her. Kyouko then turned to Rin. Her eyes hardened.

"Ogata. If you don't get up in ten seconds, you forfeit not only this match, but also your regular spot. I don't need someone who doesn't even try."

Rin lost it at that.

"I am trying!" She screamed, lifting her head. Tears fell down her cheeks. In the adjacent court, Sakura, about to serve, missed the ball, startled. Kaoru turned to stare at Rin in surprise. Even Haruka had turned around to see what was going on in the court behind her. "I am trying! But she's better than me! In every way! She's faster, and stronger, and more skilled-"

Kyouko stalked forward, reaching Rin in three large steps. She reached down and grabbed Rin by her collar, pulling her up.

"You," she hissed, "are not a victim. Don't make yourself out to be one. Look around you. You're not the only one who had to play a stronger, faster, more skilled opponent at some time." And it was true. Kaoru and Tomoka had faced Yui. Sakura had played against Kyouko herself. "You have the skills to beat Ushimaru if you try. But you've stopped trying." She dropped Rin and turned to face the other regulars.

"I don't care what your reason for joining was. I don't care how strong you are or how much stronger your opponent is, or how badly you're losing, or even if you lose. While you are on this team, you are not allowed to stop trying." With that, she walked off the courts.

There was an awkward silence, and then Kaoru sighed heavily. "Ogata. Just hit the ball." She returned to focus on her match. "Kawamura, hurry up and serve."

"I told you to call me Sakura, Kaoru-chan!"

"Whatever."

* * *

_Just hit the ball_.

Kaoru-chan was right. All she had to do was hit the ball. She stood up again. Her opponent actually looked slightly apprehensive now, unwilling to play seriously against a broken opponent. But Rin slid into position to receive the ball.

Azumi served.

_Just hit the ball._

Rin leapt in front of the ball. She could see the groves, the see the way the ball spun. It was just a normal shot. It was returnable. She hit the ball.

It hit the net.

Azumi served again.

_Just hit the ball_.

Rin charged again. Got up close, and watched the ball. Hit it. It went past the net, hit the court, and flew into the fence past Azumi. Return ace.

_Just hit the ball_.

* * *

Azumi's lips twitched ever so slightly. Whether she was aware of it or not, with just a few words, Kaoru had not only gotten the dejected third year back into the game, but had caused her to activate Queen's Territory. Rin's psyche might have been more fragile than a wine glass most of the time, but when Kaoru was involved, it was steel.

The two third years became so focused in their match that they didn't notice when their referee left her post to track down the captain.

* * *

"You overdid it, Kyouko." Yui leaned against the wall and turned her head to look at the captain. "Why'd you fly off the handle so quickly like that?" Kyouko stood stiffly, arms crossed, her back to Yui.

"It was necessary."

"You know it wasn't. You just don't want to admit it. What do you have against her? Are you jealous?" She knew she hit a sore spot when Kyouko twitched sharply.

"Why would I be jealous of someone like Ogata?" she asked flatly.

"Because she's allowed to be weak. She's allowed to give up, to stop, and to choose when to get back up, and there will still be people around her." It was true – her close bond with Kaoru aside, she had plenty of other friends as well. "But somehow, you have this weird idea that you have to appear the strongest, the undefeated, to be a leader. You always have to beat someone down before you think they'll follow you. You don't realize that-

"Shibata." Kyouko cut her off abruptly and turned to glare at her with an intense stare. Yui sighed and raised her arms in surrender. Kyouko only reverted to her surname when she was seriously upset. After a pause, Kyouko turned around again.

"You might want to consider changing up your vocabulary a bit," Yui couldn't help but edge in. "You couldn't get Ogata to even stop crying with over five sentences. It took Ueno four words to get her back on her feet."

_Just hit the ball_.

"If she has to constantly rely on Ueno to do anything, she won't get anywhere."

Yui sighed.

"Maybe she wouldn't have to if you gave her a break and stopped trying to break her." She glanced at what Kyouko had her eyes fixed on – the silhouette of one Osakada Tomoka. She seemed to be doing sit-ups with a non-regular. "Is that the first-year? She's doing pretty well. Don't break her like you did Haruka."

Kyouko inhaled sharply.

"I didn't break her."

Yui simply smirked.

"Sure."

She left Kyouko and returned to Rin and Azumi's match.

* * *

"Game and match! Seven games to five, Azumi-senpai!" Sakura announced cheerfully. After beating Kaoru 6-4 by out-lasting her in a deuce, she'd offered to referee the rest of Rin and Azumi's match. "Wow, Azumi-chan! You're so good! We should play a match sometime!" She descended the referee chair and ran to her friend, leaping into a bear hug that elicited an "Oof!" from the senior.

Rin smiled softly, satisfied. She'd lost – again – but she felt as though she'd improved herself, by a tiny bit.

"It's all the small steps that add up," her mother had once said. She felt as though she'd taken a small step today. She turned to Kaoru.

"Kaoru-chan, thank you."

Kaoru snorted, turning away. "For what?" Rin giggled and didn't comment on the reddening of Kaoru's ears.

* * *

Kyouko returned a few minutes after Yui and surveyed the regulars. She turned to Inui.

"Did you get enough data on the girls?"

"Ah." Inui nodded in assent. "That's enough for now."

"Then it's time to start 'that,' if you would be so kind as to explain it."

Inui adjusted his glasses with a finger.

"Very well. I hope you don't mind that I've brought a volunteer along." He made a beckoning motion, and a familiar girl stepped into the courts, carrying a box full of ankle weights and tennis balls.

"Yo," Watanabe Io waved.

"... Who are you?" Yui asked bluntly, and Io face-faulted. Inui interrupted before anyone could come to blows.

"Everyone, please put on an ankle weight on each ankle. Each one has one 250g bar in it; half the amount the boys are wearing. You will be wearing these to increase your leg muscles, speed and footwork, among other things. We will increase the weight regularly until you are up to eight bars in each leg."

Some of the girls blanched.

"Eight bars... That's two kilograms per leg!" Sakura groaned. Even if she had lots of stamina, she didn't like being pushed to her limits.

"Don't complain," Yui sighed. "Kyouko, Nishimiya and I are already wearing four on each leg."

Kaoru scoffed and took the proffered weights, tying them to her legs.

"This is similar to the training I did for dance," she explained. "This is nothing new to me. I could go to three weights per leg right now."

"Then," Kyouko spoke up, "let's add two more bars per leg for everyone. That's how much Osakada is wearing right now to catch up with you guys. If she can do it, the rest of you can too." A wave of groans arose.

Kaoru twitched and briefly contemplated strangling her captain. She grabbed two more weights with a snarl and shoved them into her ankle weights. The rest of the girls followed suite.

"Where is Tomoka-chan, anyways?" Sakura asked.

"She'll be following a different training menu until she can keep up with you guys," Kyouko replied cryptically, suggesting that if someone in the line-up right now couldn't keep up, she'd be joining Osakada.

Finally, once they were all outfitted properly and back in a line, Inui began explaining the activity.

"You will be training your accuracy, reaction time, and hand-eye coordination. I will set up three cones of different colours. The tennis balls here also have their grooves coloured the same." He held up the balls to demonstrate. "I will serve a ball to you; you must identify the colour of the groove, and hit the ball to a cone. For Kuroi, Shibata, Nishimiya and Ushimaru, you must hit the ball to the corresponding cone colour. The rest of you are highly encouraged to try, but as long as you can declare the colour correctly and hit a cone, there will be no penalty."

"... Wait, penalty?" Kaoru asked, slightly apprehensive. Inui smiled widely. He pulled, seemingly from nowhere, a large jug of his infamous Inui Juice.

"Anyone who makes a mistake before ten balls are up has to drink a cup of this."

All the girls blanched as one.

* * *

"Red!" Kyouko hit the ball to the red cone. That was the tenth ball. Outwardly, she calmly walked off the court. Inwardly though, she was very glad to have avoided the infamous Inui Juice.

On the other court, Watanabe served the balls to an irate Yui. She hit lighter and slower than usual, determined to not make a mistake and suffer the Inui Juice.

Watanabe was surprisingly calm and unobtrusive. She'd sent a flew glares at Kyouko, but other than that she seemed to be getting along with the other regulars just fine. Inui had expected some friction after what her friend Kirio had pulled, but there was none.

Yui finished her ten balls without fault. Sakura and Rin stepped up to take their places, respectively.

"Waaaah! Wait, wait, not ready here! Red? Wait, no, blue!" Sakura hit the ball at the blue cone.

Unfortunately, it was red.

"KYAAAA!"

The first victim to Inui juice fell.

"Oh dear..." Rin, startled by Sakura's reaction to the Inui juice, missed her own cone. Upon accepting and drinking the Inui juice, she fainted away quietly.

"Cht," Kaoru snorted. That was very much like Rin; to remain graceful even when suffering from Inui juice.

* * *

In the end, only Kyouko, Yui, and Haruka managed to avoid the Inui Juice. Kaoru had been able to distinguish each ball's groove colour correctly, but the pressure and the added weight on her ankles made her slip up and miss the cone. Unfortunately, she had to suffer Inui Juice twice in one day.

Azumi hit the wrong colour by accident when her neighbor, Kaoru, had yelled her own colour. She turned out to be somewhat of a second Fuji Shuusuke when it came to Inui Juice, simply commenting that it had a strange aftertaste.

"Goodness... What _was_ that," Rin groaned, fanning her mouth. Her legs were also aching; 750g per leg wasn't too heavy, but it wasn't light either, and the more tired you got, the heavier they felt. She rapidly waved her arms in a 'never mind' motion when Inui opened his mouth to list all the ingredients. _I'm not sure if I want to know_.

"Don't complain!" Kyouko chided. "This is good motivation for you guys."

"You can only say that because you didn't have to drink it!" Sakura and Kaoru yelled.

"I didn't think it was that bad," Azumi commented.

"You're not human," Kaoru replied firmly. "You can't be."

* * *

"You know," Kikumaru remarked, "I'm kinda really grateful for the girls right now. Inui has less time to use his Inui Juice on us when he's supervising their training."

"Eiji!" Oishi chided.

Deep down though, everyone though the same.

* * *

Meanwhile, Tomoka, after hearing multiple screams coming from the courts, felt as though she'd somehow avoided a huge catastrophe.

* * *

**A/N**

**Second chapter, rewritten!** Now that I have a good feel for each of my characters again, it's going much smoother.

Pairings will start soon (well technically they've already started with the Kawamura/Yui interactions ufufu). Some were hinted at in this chapter. Some are just false leads~

(And of course, just because a pairing starts, doesn't mean it'll last.)

**Please keep in mind that any opinions expressed are those of a character and how I think they would react/think about something. They may not always be right. They most certainly will not always reflect my own opinion on a particular topic.**

In particular, characters might express an opinion on something and not realize that they've overlooked a crucial fact. After all, they're all human.

Yeesh! It's pretty hard to keep track of all the characters and make sure they all react appropriately and get turns on screen (or, well, script, I suppose). My respect for fellow ff authors with such fanfics has gone way up.

I'm actually super excited for Tomoka's debut and future matches. She's going to be very special, indeed...


	3. Accidents and Ice Cream

**Warnings:** OCs. OCs everywhere. OC-centric, but not all on one OC. A couple of OC/canon pairings. Profanity. In the future, mature themes/discussion/implications but nothing explicit past kissing. And maybe groping. **Discussions of sexuality**.

**Word Count:** ~6.5k

**Summary:** " Budget cuts due to underperformance causes the Seigaku girl's tennis team to share training space and time with the boy's team. Sparks will fly, people will be set on fire and poisoned, and they might just make it to the end if they cooperate. A Seigaku girls' tennis team fanfic, high school AU. Because those tall brats are _not_ in middle school."

**Chapters one and two have been rewritten! Important details have been changed. go reread them if this isn't your first time reading the story.**

* * *

**All That Glitters**

_Chapter 3 – Accents and Ice Cream_

* * *

_You got that James Dean day dream look in your eye_  
_And I got that red lip classic thing that you like_  
_And when we go crashing down, we come back every time._

\- Style, Taylor Swift

* * *

_Two weeks after formation of girl's tennis team_

Azumi sat with her family at the dining table for breakfast, sipping lightly at her miso soup. She tried to ignore the tension.

Natsuki hadn't touched her breakfast, and was texting on her phone. Father was reading the newspaper, sipping his morning tea, seemingly ignoring everyone. Only Mother ate, her eyes flickering back and forth.

"Azumi, how was school?" Mother asked, trying to start up a conversation.

"Fine," Azumi replied. She felt sympathy for Mother; some days it seemed she was the only one keeping the family together. "I made the girl's tennis team again. This time I won't be a reserve player." She was surprised to realize she hadn't even told her parents that yet. Had communication already broken down that much between them?

"That's great!" Mother exclaimed, clapping her hands together. "Dear, isn't that great?"

Father put down the newspaper and nodded solemnly. "Of course. As to be expected of Azumi. Natsuki, you should follow you sister's example." Ai felt her heart plummet. "Get more involved at school. You should raise your grade standing as well; your sister is in the top ten. You aren't even in the first quarter."

Natsuki pocketed her phone and stood up.

"Where do you think you're going?" Father asked in a deceptively calm tone.

_Sit down, Natsuki_, Ai begged mentally. Of course, she kept on walking away.

"Natsuki. Sit down." Father was getting mad. Natsuki stopped but didn't turn back around either. "SIT. DOWN." Azumi and Mother started at the volume. Natsuki slowly turned around and sat back down.

There was a long pause, and then Mother attempted to restart the conversation. "So, Natsuki, have you made any new friends at school?" she asked. Natsuki snorted.

"Of course. Unlike that geek, _I_ have a social life. I bet she hasn't even made a single friend yet."

Azumi felt a rush of red-hot humiliation and embarrassment.

"I did that two years ago," she snapped back. "I don't need _new_ friends. And I've been busy; you know, with _studying_ and _student council_." She regretted those words the moment they came out of her mouth. Her sister hated it when she brought up how successful she was at school.

"Natsuki, don't talk to your sister like that," Father scowled. "Why can't you be more like Azumi?"

Natsuki _glared_ at her with such intense hatred that she nearly wilted. "Her only friend's a second year that can't shut up to save her life," she snapped.

"She is to be commended for looking after a kouhai," Father replied.

"She didn't even _make friends_ with that girl, that girl had to save her from-" she cut herself off abruptly.

"Save her from what?" Father echoed.

"Nothing," Natsuki muttered. She wolfed her breakfast down as fast as she could, ignoring Mother's reprimands. "I'm going to be late. Excuse me." With that, she grabbed her schoolbag and ran for the front door.

Father returned to his newspaper. Mother sighed and began clearing the table. Azumi resisted the urge to put her face in her hands. She felt that progress with her sister was always one step forwards, two steps back.

* * *

Inui stared at his computer screen in shock.

_This... This changes so much of my data_.

He'd run background checks on all of the new female regulars. There'd been a few small surprises here and there, but for the most part everyone had been just as Inui had predicted.

All except for Nishimiya Haruka.

He remembered the conversation he'd had with Watanabe Io, the girl he'd asked to help out. Or rather, he'd mentioned casually in class that he might need an assistant of sorts and she'd more or less thrown herself over him. She'd been more than a bit dismayed to find out that she would be helping the girl's team, and not the boy's team, but much to Inui's surprise, she stuck with him nonetheless.

He'd seen her best friend's complete defeat by Nishimiya Haruka and had been surprised to find that she held no animosity towards the second year; rather, all her ire was directed at the captain, Kuroi Kyouko.

* * *

"I have to ask, Watanabe, why are you so cooperative, even though we'll be helping the girl's tennis team?" Inui inquired. "According to my data, you and Kirio are very close. After what happened to her, the typical reaction from you ought to be anger, avoidance, perhaps even fear towards Nishimiya Haruka; and usually a desire for retribution. You don't seem to show any of that." _Yet_. And as everyone knew, Inui was bothered very much when his data didn't accurately reflect the situation.

Io simply shrugged as she coloured another tennis ball in. "Himari was being stupid. It wasn't Nishimiya's fault; it was Kuroi's. She's the one I hate."

"Why do you hate Kuroi-san?" Inui asked. "Do you not think perhaps she was right to do as she did? Your friend not only challenge her decision, but also seemed to have touched on a rather sensitive point with Nishimiya. Nishimiya is good friends with Kuroi-"

Io laughed. It was a sharp, sarcastic laugh.

"Is that what it looks like?" she snorted. "They aren't friends. Kuroi looks out for Nishimiya out of guilt, and because she needs her on the team. She's a fucking hypocrite for getting angry at Kirio. She's the one that broke Nishimiya first."

Inui was stunned at that revelation.

"... What do you mean, Kuroi broke her?" he asked quietly.

Io sighed.

"Kuroi transferred here last May," she recounted. "The first thing she did was take over the tennis club. She beat all the regulars and established herself as captain. She dared anyone to challenge her. Nishimiya was a first year, but she was a good kid who couldn't stand to see her senpais get walked all over by a stranger. So she challenged Kuroi." She looked away, lowering her eyes sadly.

"She wasn't arrogant or anything. She was just confident in her skills. She's a prodigy, you know. But Kuroi – Kuroi was just _better_. She completely crushed Nishimiya." Io sighed, closing her eyes. "Nishimiya used to love talking. She was always smiling. Now she just listens to that music player of hers all day long and practices non-stop. She looks so... _Dead_ on the inside. Like she's lost her purpose for living.

"It scares me."

She remembered meeting Nishimiya – _Haruka, her name was Haruka-chan_ – when she'd been a first year, all awkward elbows and knees and bright, hopeful smile. She remembered taking it upon herself to bring the cheerful first-year under her wing. She remembered late practice sessions and lying together on the roof during lunch, searching for shapes in the clouds.

She remembered how it had taken Kuroi just fifteen minutes to take that all away – from both of them.

"That environment – it poisons her. She's crumbling away, and I- _I can't do anything!_"

Kuroi Kyouko did not care about anyone but her regulars. And even then, she only cared for them as tennis players, not friends. If Nishimiya Haruka didn't break away from her influence, she would break apart completely; and Io didn't know if she would be able to pick up the pieces.

She turned away from Inui to hide her tears. He didn't comment.

* * *

Yui entered Ryuuzaki-sensei's classroom, the place that doubled as the tennis club's exec meeting place after class.

"Morning, Oishi, Tezuka." The two boys likewise acknowledged her. "Kyouko's gonna be a bit late today. She had an errand to run and got a late start on her jogging, but she'll be here by the time practice starts. Probably."

"Why doesn't she just cut her jogging time down a little bit?" Oishi asked. "You mentioned that she runs eight miles every morning. Surely a few minutes less just once wouldn't matter?" Yui laughed.

"You won't be ale to get that girl to cut down on her jogging time for anything. Back when she lived in England, she'd run every day, even when it snowed."

"Ah, so Kuroi-san used to live in England?"

"Yep, for a year or two." She set her schoolbag down and opened it, pulling out a stack of papers. "Tezuka, could you help me with the uniform requisition form and the tournament permission sheet?"

"Ah." Tezuka accepted the forms and took out a pen to show Yui how to fill them out. Yui was almost done when there was a knock on the door.

"Um..." A stranger opened the door slowly, peeking in. She caught sight of Oishi and Tezuka first. "I was told I could find Kuroi Kyouko here...?"

Yui stiffened and turned around slowly. Tezuka glanced between the two girls.

"Ah, she's not here right now," Oishi apologized. "But she should be here soon-"

"You should leave," Yui interrupted abruptly, standing up.

"Eh? But-" Oishi began, but Yui pushed him aside gently. The stranger caught sight of her and lowered her eyes, saddened. Yui sighed, irritated, and crossed her arms.

"Oi, don't make me out to be the bully here after what you pulled. Kyouko isn't ready to see you yet. Even if you're here to apologize, it'll just end badly."

The stranger sighed mournfully.

"I understand. I'll come another day, then."

"Wait until the regionals are over," Yui advised. The stranger nodded and left.

Yui went back to her seat and sat down with a heavy thump, leaning back. She closed her eyes and pinched the bridge of her nose.

"Who was that?" Tezuka asked, getting right to the point.

"None of your business," Yui replied just as bluntly. "Don't tell Kyouko that girl showed up today. It's better for all of us." She put her arms and head down on the desk in front of her. "I'm going to take a quick nap. Wake me up when Kyouko gets here, will you?"

Oishi and Tezuka exchanged a confused glance.

* * *

The girl's change room was buzzing with excitement that afternoon; the uniforms had come in.

"Finally!" Kaoru embraced her uniform in a death hug. "No more wearing our tacky PE uniforms during practice. I felt like I was attending a make-up class for PE every day. Do you know how humiliating that is?" she ranted to Sakura, who nodded solemnly.

"I know what you mean, Kaoru-chan. And the pants are too warm!" She held up a uniform and examined it critically, before nodding in approval. "These look so much better!"

"They adhere to the school's dress code regulations," Azumi agreed. There was an awkward silence. "What? Who do you think will have to deal with the paperwork if some teacher in the school decides to be an asshole and report our uniform? It's happened before."

"Mou, Azumi-senpai, it's tennis practice," Sakura pouted. "Can't you forget about all that student council stuff for now?"

Haruka changed into her uniform quickly and quietly, and then stood by a locker to wait. She tried to look uninterested, but Rin caught her sneaking glances at her reflection and giggled.

The captain and vice-captain looked on in amusement at the rest of the girls in the changeroom. They were like kittens with a new toy. Then again, Yui had been just as excited over the new uniforms the previous year.

They'd largely redesigned the uniforms, and now the pleated skirt was replaced with a more functional flat skirt that was only attached along the seams at the top and not the sides to allow for better movement. Of course, it had shorts attached underneath.

The shirt collar was wide, like the boy's uniforms, and the sleeves, while slightly long, were very loose to provide comfort and mobility, especially when they sweated a lot. The material was out of sports fabric that wicked away sweat and moisture to maintain comfort.

All in all, the general consensus was that they were cute, stylish, and comfortable.

"All right you slowpokes, hurry up and finish changing. I want you all out in five, or you're running extra laps today."

There was a flurry of movement. Everyone was out in three and a half.

* * *

On the courts, the boys all paused what they were doing when they saw the girls walk out of the change rooms. Momoshiro whistled appreciatively.

"Uwaaaa! So cute!" Kikumaru beamed. "Oishi, don't you think so too?"

"A-ah, I guess..." Oishi blushed, trying to free himself from Kikumaru's glomp.

"Isn't the skirt a bit too short?" Momoshiro asked. "If there's a breeze, or you move in the wrong way, it'll go flying up."

"You'd like that, wouldn't you, you pervert?" Kaoru seethed, stomping over to where he was. They began arguing (again), much to everyone's amusement.

"Is it just me or do they not realize...?" Rin trailed off. Sakura nodded gravely in confirmation, as the rest of the team reached a consensus; those two were really dense.

The rest of practice was just as hectic; Rin spent half her time trying to hold down her skirt, despite the reassurances from everyone else that it was fine. Sakura and Kaoru added unnecessary twirls to show off the uniform, and had completely unrepentant faces when told to run laps for losing their respective practice matches due to that. Afterwards, they teased Rin by flipping her skirt up, eliciting her ingrained reaction of crying out in embarrassment and dropping everything to pull the skirt back down. Azumi glared her most vicious glare yet at anyone that approached, one hand resting on her skirt. Tomoka couldn't stop spinning. Yui laughed at everyone.

And then Kyouko made everyone run more laps.

* * *

Haruka tried not to twitch as Fuji appeared beside her while they were running laps.

"How are you, Nishimiya-chan?"

She ignored him. For the past few weeks, he'd constantly badgered her, trying to get a conversation out of her. It had gotten to the point where she had an ingrained reaction to duck and hide every time she saw brown hair and a smile.

"The weather's been very nice lately, hasn't it?"

"Have you heard about the new TV series coming out this weekend?"

"Do you like cacti?"

Haruka resisted the urge to scream. She absolutely refused to reply; if she did, it would only encourage him, and then he'd _never_ leave her alone. Like this, there was still a chance that he would get bored and move on.

She missed Fuji's calculating glance.

_I'm aware of what you're thinking, Nishimiya-chan. It won't work on me. I won't give up until I've discovered all your secrets._ He smiled. _Don't break too quickly_.

* * *

Inui approached Kyouko after practice. "Kuroi, might I have a word with you? In private?"

Kyouko nodded and followed him to the clubhouse office. He pulled out an article he'd printed and handed it to her.

"I found this information when I was researching your team," he explained. "Is this true?"

Kyouko took the paper with a raised eyebrow, but when she caught sight of the title of the article, she paled immediately.

Printed on the paper beside Nishimiya Haruka's name, was the words _heart transplant recipient_.

"... How many people have you told?" she asked, not looking up from the article.

"None, currently, Inui assured her, adjusting his glasses with a finger. "However, I feel that some should be informed in case-"

"Tell no one," Kyouko interrupted. Inui's eyes widened in surprise.

"But-"

"_No one_." She ripped the paper in half, again and again, until only small slivers remained, and dumped them in the garbage bin. "Don't adjust her training menu; it'll raise questions, and she'll just practice in secret. Carry on as though you didn't know. And don't tell _anyone_." She turned around to leave the clubroom. "... It's what Haruka wants."

The door closed with a quiet click behind her, leaving Inui wondering what the hell the relationship between those two was.

* * *

"Hey, let's all go for ice-cream," Yui suggested, just as Kyouko entered the change rooms. "My treat. I'm feeling generous today." Kyouko blinked in surprise; Yui had never offered to do so last year. Sakura immediately attacked Yui with a hug, ecstatic. "Well, I guess we know Sakura's answer," Yui chuckled. "And the rest of you?"

"I'm sorry, I promised Sakuno I'd hang out with her," Tomoka apologized.

"Don't sweat it. Next time bring Ryuuzaki along too. Ueno?"

"... I'm suspicious," Kaoru said. "Fukubuchou, being nice? Treating us to ice cream? There's got to be a catch somewhere." The rest of the regulars laughed, including Yui.

"Take it or leave it, Ueno. Ogata?" The aforementioned regular glanced hesitantly at Kaoru, and nodded. "Kyouko, you're coming, no discussion. Nishimiya?" With a shake of the head, the second year left the change room. "... Aaaand there she goes."

"What's her problem?" Kaoru snorted. "She never talks to any of us. Like, ever."

"What? That's not true," Sakura argued. "She talks to me!" Kyou and Yui blinked and exchanged amused glances. That was certainly news.

"No, she doesn't," Kaoru shot back. "You sit beside her in class and talk at her. She listens."

"She talks back sometimes!"

"Yeah? Have you ever gotten more than a sentence out of her?"

"Well..."

"Hey," Rin suddenly cut in. "Where's Azumi-senpai?"

The regulars present blinked as one and looked around.

* * *

The missing regular was, in fact, helping out one Ryuuzaki Sakuno, who'd knocked down a crate of tennis balls.

"I'm really sorry about this, senpai!" Sakuno apologized for the fourth time. To be honest, the usually aloof and expressionless third-year scared her.

"Don't worry about it," Azumi replied crisply. "It's only to be expected with your coordination." She meant it as a simple fact, not as an insult, but Sakuno wilted nonetheless. They finished picking up the balls and parted ways. Ai was heading back towards the change rooms when two boys approached her.

"Hey, sweetheart," the first one said with an expression that Azumi supposed was meant to be sexy and seductive. It reminded her of a sloth.

"Woah, this one's pretty cute," the second one remarked, his eyes raking her up and down. Azumi resisted the urge to shudder and kept a poker face on.

The first one approached her and she stepped back, but after two steps her back hit a wall. He put a hand on the wall beside her head and leaned in close. "We've never gotten a chance to look at our esteemed vice-prez up close. You're always with that prick Tezuka. Hey, why don't we-" he leaned in just a bit farther, but it was just far enough for Azumi to no longer feel safe, let alone comfortable. She held her hand in the classic karate chop form, but with the palm up, and jabbed her fingers into his armpit.

"FUCK!" Guy number one swore sharply, doubling over and backing away, clutching his armpit. Some distant place in Azumi's mind that wasn't panicking registered the fact that this was rather amusing to watch.

"You bitch!" Guy number two shouted, lunging forwards to grab Azumi. She stepped aside and prepared to retaliate, when a stern voice broke through.

"What do you think you're doing?" Tezuka demanded, freezing them both in their tracks.

* * *

Tezuka had, of course, seen the whole thing from start to finish. As captain, he was always first to arrive and last to leave the courts, unless there was an emergency. He also made it his business to know the general location of all of his regulars during practice, to ensure they weren't up to something they shouldn't be. Inui in particular was a repeat offender of trying to sneak his concoctions into people's drinks to record their reactions.

He normally tried to stay out of the girl's team's affairs as much as possible; between Kuroi and Shibata, those two were more than enough to control the girl's team. Furthermore, Kuroi seemed to respond negatively to having her authority challenged.

However, this was a different matter. As student council president, Tezuka would not condone any student harassing another. Additionally, Ushimaru was the vice-president, who, apart from working very closely with him on a weekly basis, took a huge load of paperwork off of his back to keep his own stack manageable. If she were to become incapacitated in any form, Tezuka would drown in paperwork.

(Seriously; he was allowed to worry. It was a valid reason.)

He'd been prepared to stop the two guys himself if the situation escalated, but had been pleasantly surprised to see Ushimaru dispatch of one by herself. When he'd seen her stance in preparation to stop the second guy's assault, though, he'd quickly intervened.

He now stood in front of Ushimaru, glaring slightly at the two guys. It was nowhere near his full-on glare (just ask Inui), but for his current audience, it was more than enough to send them scuttling away.

"... Thank you," Ushimaru said. "But I could have handled it myself." She was still tense, probably from adrenaline.

"I know," Tezuka replied. "If possible, however, I prefer an outcome that does not involve anyone walking away with broken arms." Because, while he would not have cared that much about the two delinquents, it might cause trouble for Ushimaru. Ushimaru started, and then schooled her face back into a mask of indifference, but there was an unmistakable hint of a grin on her face.

"Your eyes don't miss anything, do they?" she remarked calmly, adjusting her glasses. "Even though your prescription is so high. Did you get better glasses, or did your eyesight improve?"

"Nothing like that," Tezuka corrected. "I just didn't forget the incident in first year." Ushimaru's face reddened at an alarming rate, and she dropped her stoic mask completely.

"You- you promised you would never mention that again!" she exclaimed, panicked. "Tezuka!" The events from first year came rushing back like a wave, unrelenting and heavy, determined to make her remember. She tried not to die of mortification on the spot. She missed the brief moment when Tezuka's eyes glazed over, and he too thought back to the time the duo had first met.

* * *

_Two years ago_

"I'm Ushimaru Azumi! I came from Aomori. I like reading and singing. I don't like sports. Nice to meet 'cha!" a fourteen year old Azumi grinned, flashing a peace sign. She tried to hide the hurt she felt when some of her new classmates started whispering and laughing; probably at her thick Tohoku accent. She sat down and smiled at her neighbor, a solemn boy wearing glasses with medium-dark brown hair.

As long as she smiled, everything would be okay.

* * *

"Go away!" Ai yelled, her accent thicker than ever with rage. "Go away! I _saw_ you hit his arm yesterday!" She grabbed one of her books, a heavy hardcover reference book, and _launched_ it at the third years that had tried to gang up on her seat-neighbor. They yelped, ducking just in time for the encyclopedia Azumi had thrown next to sail over their head and hit the wall behind them. Briefly, they wondered, 1) how the hell such a little girl had the arm strength to carry over five thick encyclopedia-sized books like it was nothing, and 2) how she could put so much force into her throws.

"What the hell do you think you're-" he had to stop abruptly and dodge to the side as another textbook expertly aimed at his crotch came flying. "Fucking hell! Who is this brat?" he snarled. "Stay out, this doesn't concern you!"

_Oh, but it did._

Azumi glared furiously at the third years. She would not let this douchebag hurt Tezuka! He was the only one in the whole class that had never laughed at her accent. _Lazy cow_, they'd called her, a pun on her name, which used the kanji for ox. They added the "lazy" part because of the stereotype that Tohoku-ers were lazy bums. They'd called her a cow just because she spoke differently. But Tezuka had never treated her any differently.

When she'd come out of the library, armed with a pile of books that her teacher had requested, and had seen the three third years approaching Tezuka with less than innocent intentions, she'd flipped. She now stood in front of Tezuka, a book in each hand. It was a more intimidating sight than it really should have been.

"Now, now, what's all this fuss about?" The seniors tensed. Tezuka, on the other hand, relaxed instantly upon hearing the familiar voice. Azumi whirled around, prepared a throw a textbook. Another senior with the tennis team's jersey and glasses stood, smiling calmly. He tried not to chuckle at the sight of the little first year, standing protectively in front of Tezuka, wielding a stack of library books. He could practically see smoke coming from her ears and nose.

They stared at each other, Azumi glaring furiously, the senior smiling in a placating manner. Tezuka placed a hand on her arm and pull her back before she lost her patience and decided the throw the book anyways,

"Stop," he said, gently but firmly.

"But- But they- He-" Azumi fumbled with her words, suddenly self-conscious again, trying to hide her dialect.

"He's the captain, Yamato-buchou," Tezuka explained patiently. The two boys watched in hidden amusement as Azumi paled, then blushed to the tip of her ears, and finally ran away with her books, apologizing profusely.

Yamato then turned to the two seniors, who quivered, knees buckling. Suffice to say, they didn't try that again.

* * *

_Back to the present_

"Are you ever going to let me forget that?" Azumi groaned, holding her hands in her face. "Besides, I don't even have any books with me right now."

"It's nothing to be embarrassed about," Tezuka stated. "Yamato-buchou understood the reason behind your actions, and I was grateful for your support, unnecessary as it was."

Azumi made dying whale noises. "I had such a heavy accent, too..."

Observing the tall brunette, Tezuka was always surprised at how much she'd changed in two years. She'd entered Seigaku as a brazen, upbeat, and occasionally very angry girl with a thick Tohoku dialect. In the face of bullying and social exclusion, she'd rapidly lost her accent, and in fear of slipping back into it, had avoiding conversation as much as possible until she was sure her accent was gone.

It was a compliment, he supposed, that she tended to slip back into her Tohoku dialect ever so slightly whenever she talked to him for longer than a few seconds. She felt comfortable using it around him, and wasn't afraid that he'd mock her for it. Because of that, he'd been one of the few people she would initiate conversations with outside of an obligation.

Still, he couldn't help but sometimes think that it was a shame the earnest, brash girl with the thick accent that kept on recommending new English novels for him to read was gone.

(Then again, he mused, thinking of just now, perhaps that girl wasn't completely gone just yet.)

"Azumi-senpai!" Sakura's shrill voice made Azumi jump in surprise. "There you are! Were you talking to someone?" Azumi blinked and looked around; Tezuka had vanished. Seeing some of her teammates arrive, she couldn't help but mentally snicker. Even the great Tezuka would rather not deal with a hoard of girls.

"We're going out for ice-cream right now," Yui announced. "You coming along? It's my treat."

"I'll pass; I still have paperwork from student council to finish."

"Eeeeh?" Sakura whined, latching onto Azumi. "Nooooo! Senpai, you have to come! You can do your work while eating! Please? Please, please, pleeeaaaase?"

Azumi cringed as Sakura's pitch got higher and higher with each subsequent "please." "Okay, fine!" she conceded. "I'll go, stop whining!"

"Yaaaaay!" Sakura bounced back immediately. "Ice cream! Let's go!"

Azumi twitched as she watched the second year skip away happily. _I got played_.

* * *

"I want strawberry!"

"I want chocolate chip and mint!"

"Oooh, is there bubblegum?"

"Orange sherbet, please."

The poor waitress scribbled for all that she was worth, trying to keep track of everyone's orders. In the end, Kyouko and Yui ended up sharing a banana split. Sakura got a parfait for herself, and Kaoru and Rin each got a cone. Azumi ordered a bubble tea and got to work straight away, ignoring everything and everyone around her.

Rin glanced around the café. It seemed to be a rather popular spot for couples. Belatedly, she noticed that they seemed to be getting some stares. When she returned her attention to their table, she saw why.

Kyouko and Yui were feeding each other.

Kaoru stared at the scene for a few seconds. "Are you two going out?"

Rin, who'd known of them for the past year and a half, giggled. Kyouko sighed in that long-suffering manner that indicated that this wasn't the first time she'd been asked that. Yui simply smiled like the cat that had caught the canary and eaten it too.

"Nope," Yui answered. "I'm bisexual, as I'm sure everyone in the school knows after what happened in first year, but Kyouko-chan is, as far as we know, straight. We do this because of a bet she lost."

"As far as we know?" Sakura echoed.

"A bet?" Kaoru repeated.

"We haven't had time to... Explore yet," Yui grinned. "As for the bet, last year-"

Kyouko stuffed a spoonful of ice cream into her mouth before she could say anymore.

"What about Haruka-chan?" Sakura asked. Kyouko and Yui both shrugged.

"I don't think she really thinks about stuff like that," Yui mused. "She spends all of her time practicing."

"I've been meaning to ask, why is Nishimiya-chan so obsessed with practice?" Rin asked. Kyouko stiffened. An awkward silence fell over the table. Yui sighed and shook her head.

"Not my story to tell. Go ask her yourself. So, Ushimaru," Yui continued, changing the topic, "I've been meaning to ask you this for a while. You've got a bit of a Tohoku accent, right?"

Azumi lifted her head from her paperwork and nodded, taking a break to sip some of her bubble tea. No matter how hard she tried, there were always traces of her native accent. Usually it wasn't noticeable, though.

"And Ogata; you've got a Kyoto accent, right?"

Rin nodded as well. "We used to live in Kyoto; my grandparents run a ryokan that's been passed down through the family. We moved for my father's work."

"Uwaaaa! A ryokan! I've always wanted to visit one!" Sakura exclaimed.

Kaoru snorted. "I've been to some. They're okay. Not that exciting, though."

"I've been to one as well," Azumi added. "It was very _peaceful_ and _quiet_." She gave Sakura a pointed look that flew over her head completely, and returned to her work.

"I can see if my grandparents can set up a few rooms for us sometime when it's not too busy," Rin offered. "There's an athletics center nearby with tennis courts that we could rent for a few days as a training camp."

"Oooo, that would be nice." Yui nudged Kyouko. "C'mon, buchou-chan. Say yes." She poked her with the spoon.

Kyouko growled and pushed her away irritably. "We'll see how we progress and how we do at the prefecturals," she finally said, giving in to four pairs of eager eyes (Azumi had returned to her paperwork). The girls (minus Azumi) cheered and went back to their ice cream.

"By the way," Yui suddenly spoke up," Kawamura, I'm going to ask your brother out on a date soon. Just a heads up."

Sakura choked on her ice-cream.

* * *

Haruka stood in front of the simple, nondescript grave. She placed a small bouquet of flowers in front of name. _Ando Sayaka_.

Then she began to talk. She talked about school. She talked about her parents. She talked about how a boy named Fuji kept on trying to talk to her. About tennis. About Inui's weird vegetable juice that not even Kyouko-buchou could handle. About how her parents had more grey hairs now.

Finally, when the sun painted the evening sky a deep orange and red, she left.

* * *

The next morning, Sakura snuck some of the leftover sushi with her. When the bell finally rang for lunch, she immediately pounced on Haruka before she could leave the classroom.

"Haruka-chan, I brought some sushi for you! It isn't fresh, but I guarantee it still tastes good." She held out the offering. "Wanna eat lunch together with me and Azumi-senpai?"

Haruka stared at it for several long moments. Just when Sakura thought she would be rejected, Haruka nodded and followed Sakura to Ai's classroom. Sakura couldn't stop smiling the whole way up. She spent the whole lunch break talking non-stop, and Haruka an Azumi bonded over mutual headaches.

During practice that afternoon, when she lost her towel, Haruka offered her own fresh one. And Sakura felt that if all it had taken was an offering of sushi for Haruka to give her a chance to be friends, then the world was really missing out on the companionship of a talented, kind young girl.

* * *

_Another week later_

The timer beeped on Kyouko's music player, signaling the end of her morning jog. She slowed down gradually until she was walking again, taking deep breaths and sips from her water bottle. She pulled off her sweat-soaked headband and wristbands.

She was actually training with ten lead bars per leg currently compared to the five that the regulars had progressed to (save for Yui and Haruka, who had eight), but hadn't informed anyone. If Haruka caught word, she would try to match and beat that, and would probably strain herself.

She sighed mentally. Honestly, she had no idea what to do with that girl. Haruka had so much potential, but she was too fixated on her goal – Kyouko – that she couldn't see any further. She also couldn't, or rather had no interest whatsoever in playing doubles.

An insidious voice whispered in her mind, _And whose fault is that?_ (It sounded remarkably like Yui's voice.) She ignored it.

The captain didn't need to play in the district tournament. For the upcoming tournaments, Haruka would be either the singles one or singles two player. Ushimaru was another good singles player, and Kawamura the younger had potential.

Ueno was currently unsuited for singles due to her lack of stamina, and Ogata didn't have the temperament for it. Together, though, they had the potential to be an excellent doubles pair.

Osakada and Yui might work out to be a good doubles pair, Kyouko realized. Tomoka had the right disposition to be an attacker and Yui would be good support for the rookie, but she knew that it wouldn't last past the first few matches. Yui would most likely chafe at being restricted to support and abandon formation to go on the offensive.

Well, either way, she'd have to consult Yui and probably Inui on the final lineup.

Before that, though, there was one more hurdle for Osakada to cross...

* * *

_After morning practice_

"The newcomer's tournament?" Tomoka repeated. Kyouko nodded.

"Yes. It's a yearly tournament where each school can opt to send one first year to compete in a small tournament," she explained. "It's happening next weekend. It's more of a bragging contest that anything else, and some schools opt not to participate. I think it would be good for you to experience an official match before we enter the district tournament. There would be no consequences if you lost."

"Eeeeeh, buchou, are your expectations for me that low?" Tomoka grinned. "I've improved a lot in the past weeks, you know. Let me participate in this tournament. I think I've got a winning chance."

Kyouko smiled. Yui had been right in picking out this freshman.

"Alright, then. Here is the participation form. Fill it out and bring it to Yui or me at the start of afternoon practice. I'll be supervising your new training regime."

"E-eh? New regime? But I finally caught up with everyone else..."

"Oh, don't worry, you'll be joining them."

Tomoka gulped.

* * *

_Afternoon Practice_

"Osakada, finish your laps within a minute each!"

"Hai, buchou!"

"Osakada, hit the cones at the top only!"

"Hai, buchou!"

"Osakada, play against Ueno! If you can't win four or more games off of her, run another 20 laps!"

"Hai, buchou!"

Yui watched the duo in amusement.

"She's really putting her through the ringer, isn't she?" she said to Azumi, who'd been standing beside her. Azumi simply nodded. Yui blinked and gave Azumi a sideways glance. As someone who (unwillingly) spent a lot of time around Nishimiya Haruka, she could tell when someone didn't feel like talking and one someone was genuinely upset. This time with Azumi, it was the latter. "Oi." She nudged Azumi with her racquet. "Stop looking so gloomy. Well, gloomier What's wrong?"

Azumi glanced at her vice captain for a beat, before looking away. "It's nothing. It won't affect my tennis."

Yui snorted. "I didn't think you of all people would say something like that, miss takes-no-bullshit."

Azumi scowled, turning to glare at Yui. "If that's another pun on my name-"

Yui raised her hands placating. "Calm down, Ushimaru. This is what I mean. You wouldn't react this way normally." She turned to face Azumi properly. "What happened?"

Azumi stared at her face for a few moments, as though trying to gauge how genuine she was being. Finally, she turned away and muttered; "I got into another fight with my sister again. Nothing new."

Shibata Yui was another one of the few people that Azumi trusted. Yui had also never bullied Azumi or mocked her accent; she'd been too busy fighting her own bullies.

Added to the fact that they'd both been on the team the previous year, the two girls were actually rather close (compared to how close Azumi was with anyone else). Thus, Yui was one of the few that was somewhat aware of her familial situation; a tired mother, a father that stirred things up, and a twin sister that hated her guts.

"Your dad say something again?" she asked with a sigh. That was, after all, one of the main reasons for the rift between the twins.

Azumi nodded. "He compared us again. I'd just told him that I'd made the team."

Yui snorted, unimpressed. "He's an idiot," she said bluntly. "That kind of competition is toxic." She turned to face Azumi. "Right then, here's my compliment quota for the month; it's not your fault if you haven't done anything except for get better grades. You made your choices and your sister made hers. It's not her fault you were just naturally better than her at what society deems useful." Her eyes narrowed. "And if you drop a match because of her, purposely or not, so help me I will drop-kick you to Mars." Azumi stared.

"... Why Mars?"

"Because the moon's not far enough."

Azumi backed away, deciding to avoid the vice-captain for the rest of the day.

* * *

**A/n**

Tezuka was the most adorable first year ever, with Eiji and Taka.

What Azumi did to guy number one is actually one of the suggested methods for dealing with kabe-don, the situation where someone tries to get too close with someone else by barricading them against a wall.

Tumblr for ATG is up! Find it at all-that-glittxrs


	4. Newcomers and Dates

**Warnings:** OCs. OCs everywhere. OC-centric, but not all on one OC. A couple of OC/canon pairings. Profanity. In the future, mature themes/discussion/implications but nothing explicit past kissing. And maybe groping.

**Word Count:** ~9k

**Summary:** " Budget cuts due to underperformance causes the Seigaku girl's tennis team to share training space and time with the boy's team. Sparks will fly, people will be set on fire and poisoned, and they might just make it to the end if they cooperate. A Seigaku girls' tennis team fanfic, high school AU. Because those tall brats are _not_ in middle school."

* * *

**All That Glitters**

_Chapter 4 – Newcomers and Dates_

* * *

_I want you for worse or for better_

_I would wait forever and ever_

_Broke your heart, I'll put it back together_

_I would wait forever and ever_

\- How You Get the Girl, Taylor Swift

* * *

"Wow, there're so many people here!" Tomoka exclaimed, equal parts excited and nervous. "Buchou, how many schools are participating again?"

"15 last time I checked," Kyouko replied, amused. "So four rounds of matches. Two in the morning and two in the afternoon. We get a bye since we won last year." She nudged Tomoka towards the registration desk. "Go on, sign in before the line gets too long."

"Haaaaai." Yui smiled fondly at her first year.

"She's a cheeky little brat, isn't she?" she teased, poking Kyouko. While not mandatory, it was tradition for the captain and vice captain to show up if a first year from their school would be playing. "I wonder how many of these first years are going to actually play this season."

"Probably one or two, if any," Kyouko stated, surveying the captain-vice-captain-rookie trios gathering in the courts. "Most schools have a strict policy of not letting first years even pick up a racquet during their first term."

"That means nothing," Yui snorted. "Seigaku had that rule, too. Nishimiya played last year."

"Nishimiya is an outlier," Haruka responded dryly.

"Then what is Osakada?"

"An annoying brat with potential."

Yui laughed, observing their first year. "Isn't that what you called me when you recruited me?"

"I call it like I see it."

* * *

Sakuno sat on the bleachers, watching her best friend play a fellow first year from another school. She was very, very surprised at the progress Tomoka had made in less than a month. Of course, receiving personal training from the daughter of a retired pro tennis player always helped, but...

She couldn't help but feel jealous sometimes. It was always the same, no matter where she went. Tomoka was the braver, louder, and more courageous of the two of them. She stood out. She was remembered. Sakuno was lucky if anyone even remembered her face at all.

The only place where Sakuno beat Tomoka was the school academic rankings; but Tomoka's popularity had skyrocketed with her entry into the female regulars, and everything else seemed insignificant in light of the attention she was getting.

And yet...

And yet, she couldn't bring herself to resent her friend. Tomoka had always been there for her. She'd stood up to bullies for Sakuno, had helped Sakuno learn how to skate and roller blade and tie her hair into braids. Even after joining the tennis team, she'd made a point of hanging out with Sakuno at least twice a week after school, even if it meant declining an invitation from one of her fellow regulars.

So Sakuno put aside her jealousy and cheered as loud as she could for her best friend.

* * *

Meanwhile, Tomoka was having the time of her life. When practicing among her fellow regulars, she was easily the weakest. Every practice match she'd ever played, she'd lost. Despite that, she'd placed her faith in Kuroi-buchou when she said that she was improving. And now she was proving that her hard work had paid off.

She hit a cross that flew straight and true, past the startled Hyoutei first year.

"40-Love!" Ah, music to her ears. She caught the tennis ball passed to her by the ballboy. Throwing it up in the air, she rode on her emotional high and served with all her might. It flew faster than all her previous serves. Her opponent, startled by the speed, hit it at the wrong angle. The ball hit the net.

"Game and match! Won by Seigaku's Osakada, six games to three."

_I did it._

A weight fell on her back suddenly.

"Well done, kiddo," Yui grinned, pinching her cheek fondly. Kyouko nodded in agreement, and at that moment, Tomoka felt like she could take on the world. "We were worried," Yui continued. "It was bad luck, being pitted against Hyoutei in your very first round. But you sure showed them."

Hyoutei was one of the few schools that allowed any person of any grade to try out for the regulars. It meant that they could tell which first year was the strongest and send that one out, even if said first year wasn't a regular. Usually, they would win the newcomer's tournament. Last year, Haruka's appearance had snatched the victory away from them and started a rivalvy not unlike that which the boy's teams of both schools had.

"Congratulations, Osakada-san," a soft and gentle voice called from across the courts. "You played beautifully." Hyoutei's captain and vice-captain had arrived to pick up their first year as well.

Sugahara Himiko, captain of Hyoutei's girl's tennis team. The girl who, as a second year, had led her team to the nationals and won.

Many described her appearance as having come "straight out of an anime." She had gentle teal eyes and straight, light pink hair that fell slightly past her shoulders, clipped to the side with a red hairclip. Her lips were pursed in a friendly smile.

That, Yui decided, was probably one of Sugahara's most frightening traits.

Atobe ruled through his power, charisma, and natural leadership that drew people to him. But Sugahara ruled with a smile; a smile with the power to command an entire matriarchy within Hyoutei.

Tomoka looked more than a little out of her depth in the face of the Hyoutei captain, and she didn't even know the whole story. Nevertheless, she recovered quickly in the face of social situations.

"Thank you! Your first year was really good, too!" She beamed at her former opponent, who paled and looked away. It was apparently the wrong thing to say.

"She was shit," vice-captain Ogino Chinatsu deadpanned. She spoke with a heavy Kansai accent. "She's probably gonna get kicked out of the club." A diminutive girl, Chinatsu had medium brown eyes and hair, done up into two high, wavy pigtails. She wore the same hairclip as Himiko. She gripped the first year's shoulder, and by the way the first year was wincing, it wasn't a loose grip.

"That's not fair!" Tomoka exclaimed, trying to move forward, but Yui held her back. "She played her best!" Chinatsu raised an eyebrow.

"Not good enough. Ain't for you to decide either, first-year," she stated calmly. "Yo, Kyouko. 'Sup?"

"I see you haven't changed," Kyouko grinned, also reverting to Kansai accent for old time's sake. "Don't lose before we get to meet at the prefecturals, Natsu-chan."

"We'll be fine; worry about your own wrinkling ass."

"Ah, but you haven't seen it up close lately. How would you know what state my ass is in?"

Tomoka stared at their exchange incredulously, while Yui and Himiko exchanged a look of shared exasperation.

Kyouko and Chinatsu were childhood friends who'd gone to the same middle school. It was a mystery, how well behaved and rule-abiding Kyouko could get along with foul-mouthed and disrespectful Chinatsu.

"Well, with this, you guys are pretty much the guaranteed victors, are you not?" Himiko smiled.

"I wouldn't count on it."

Six heads turned to look at the intruder. Rikkai's trio, it seemed, had made their appearance.

Rikkai's girl's tennis club was actually rather new; it had only been funded after Rikkai's boy's tennis team had won the nationals the first time. Thus, the club was only three years old, and only had three captains in its history; one of which was currently present.

Kirihara Konoha, whose younger brother was known as the second-year ace on the boy's team. Teal hairclips that matched her eyes held her short, curly black hair away from her face. Her face held no emotion.

Beside her stood a tall, blonde foreigner. Her thick, curly blonde hair was tied back into two large braids. She held a disapproving expression reminiscent of that of the Rikkai's boy's team's vice-captain, her green eyes flashing behind her glasses. She was the one who had spoken.

"We will be the winners this year," the blonde stated firmly with accented Japanese, "Both for this tournament and the nationals."

"... I'm sorry, who are you again?" Chinatsu asked, sounding bored. The blonde glared and opened her mouth, about to speak, when Konoha interrupted her.

"Her name is Otsuka Anna. I'm Kirihara Konoha." She nodded briefly to Kyouko and Himiko. "Nice to meet you again, Sugahara-san. Kuroi-san I hope your team doesn't lose before it can face us this time." Himiko nodded politely, but her smile was a tad strained. Kyouko didn't react to the taunt.

"I'd be more concerned about your own track record if I were you," Yui sneered. Otsuka bristled angrily, reminding her of a porcupine. In the previous two years, Rikkai had not performed well enough for their principal's liking. There were even rumors that they were in danger of being cut. A sharp glance from both captains held their vice-captains back from jumping at each other's throats.

"I hear you have a particularly talented first year in your line-up," Kyouko mentioned, glancing at the third of the Rikkai trio that had yet to say anything. "Normally, I'd say that you're taking a big risk, but..." She gestured to Tomoka.

"I suppose we'll see whose gamble pays off more," Kirihara replied demurely. "Please excuse us." She nodded politely and left with her vice captain and rookie in tow.

"She seriously creeps me out, that Kirihara," Yui muttered. "There's something wrong with that family." Chinatsu nodded in agreement, and then the two girls shared a horrified look at actually agreeing on something.

"Yui."

"What? You've _seen_ them play. Oh, right, I forgot, you're friends with Ogino and she's just as bad-"

"What the _hell_ does that mean, Shibata-"

"_Yui._"

Tomoka jumped, startled by Kyouko's dark tone. It was the first time she'd seen such a dark expression on her captain's face. Yui just sighed and patted Tomoka's head.

"That's my cue to leave. Good luck, Osakada. I'll be in the bleachers." With that, she left.

"Well," Himiko remarked. "That was eventful. It was nice meeting you again, Kuroi-san, and you too, Osakada-san. Let's go, Chinatsu."

"Uiisu. Good luck, squirt." Tomoka squawked indignantly.

"I'm not a squirt!"

Kyouko sighed.

"Ignore them and go get lunch. You have an hour. Make sure to get something easily digestible. And for goodness sake, don't get into any trouble with the other players."

"Haaaii..."

* * *

"One set match, Seigaku's Osakada to serve!"

Kyouko and Yui watched in silence, observing Tomoka's opponent; Rikkai's Yagyuu Misaki. She had the same brown hair as her older brother, Hiroshi, and the same gentle smile that the "gentleman" was known for.

Tomoka tossed the ball up and executed a good serve. A decent rally started up, as the two girls traded balls back and forth, before Tomoka won the first point with a cross to the other side of Misaki.

"Fifteen-love!"

"Yes!" Tomoka cheered, her confidence boosted. She returned to the baseline and served again. Once more, they rallied for a while before Tomoka hit a drop shot that won the point.

"Thirty-love!"

"Our little girl's in good form," Yui remarked. "But that Yagyuu..."

"Yeah."

Both of them could see it; Yagyuu Misaki was holding back. The question was, how much was she holding back?

* * *

"Game, Osakada! One game to love."

Tomoka prepared to receive serve, pleased that she'd won the first game. All she had to do was ride the momentum and keep on going.

Misaki served. The ball came faster than she expected, but not too fast for her to return. Tomoka hit a straight. Misaki returned the ball close to Tomoka's left. _I don't even have to move_, Tomoka thought, moving in to hit the ball.

She missed.

"Fifteen-love!"

_What?_ Tomoka stared at the ball as it rolled away. What had happened? She hadn't done anything differently.

From then on, the game seemed to be completely one-sided. Misaki would serve. Tomoka would return it. Misaki would always get the ball and return it, and when Tomoka went to hit it, she would miss.

"Game, Yagyuu! One game all."

Tomoka grit her teeth. Why? Why was she missing? She wasn't doing anything differently.

Gripping her racquet tightly, she served as hard as she could, and was please to see Yagyuu junior caught off guard by the sudden increase in speed and strength. It wasn't enough to stop her, though,. She recovered quickly and returned the ball, It skimmed by Tomoka's wrist, making her freeze.

"Love-fifteen!"

_Is she aiming for me?_ Tomoka shuddered. Yagyuu Misaki had not come off as a violent player at all. She served again, steeling herself when Misaki returned it at her again, and threw herself at the ball, determined to return it. She had to step to the side and twist her arm awkwardly, but managed to hit the ball. It hit the net.

"Love-thirty!"

Tomoka lowered her arm, staring at Misaki.

"Is something the matter, Osakada-san?" Misaki asked, smiled back pleasantly.

Tomoka huffed. "Nothing," she snapped, returning to the baseline.

Misaki hadn't been targeting her. She'd been targeting strategic places that were near impossible to return the ball from, due to the structure of the human skeleton.

Further more, that girl had given up a game to see how Tomoka moved, and to figure where to hit the ball so that she'd have the hardest time returning it.

Tomoka shuddered. The amount of precision needed to play like that was on a whole other level above Tomoka. Misaki could probably give Ushimaru-senpai a run for her money.

* * *

"I guess this is her limit," Yui sighed. "Well, she didn't do too bad. That Yagyuu girl is just too good.

On the other side of the bleachers, Kirihara Konoha stared at Kyouko, challenging her. Kyouko ignored her, her eyes on their first year.

_Not yet. You can still go higher, Osakada. Right here, right now. Show me._

* * *

_Wham!_ The ball flew across the court, past Tomoka, and rolled off the court.

"Game, Yagyuu! Two games to one."

Tomoka snarled angrily, not caring that she probably looked a bit crazy. She prepared to receive serve.

Misaki's serve was normal, constrained by the space she was allowed to hit it. Tomoka felt her racquet hit the ball.

_That's it!_

She returned the ball. Misaki hit a drop shot. Tomoka ran for it and just managed to catch it; Misaki smashed the easy ball.

"Fifteen-love."

Despite looking a bit banged up and dusty, and having just lost a point, Tomoka was grinning.

Yui smiled. "Looks like our little fire flower(1)'s up to something."

* * *

Tomoka's eyesight had always been excellent. She had above-average ability to distinguish and track moving objects. As a child, she'd loved to read I Spy books. When her mother had lost her pearl earring, Tomoka had been the one to find it.

It was this excellent eyesight that allowed Tomoka to really watch people and observe them. It was also this excellent eyesight that allowed her to see Misaki's shots.

Misaki's shot were brutally accurate and fast enough that Tomoka had a hard time setting up even if she knew where the ball was going to go. Once her racquet made contact with the ball, Tomoka had already lost the point.

However, her serves were far less effective. That was Tomoka's chance; not during her own service game, but during Misaki's. Those serves would be the only balls that Tomoka could prepare, set up, and return. So naturally, if she lost her own service games, then she'd have to break Misaki's with the first return.

Besides, she hadn't gone through all of that training for nothing.

Misaki served the ball. Tomoka's eyes locked on the ball. She was a food back from the place where the ball would bounce a full second before it bounced.

She placed both hands on the racquet, and, letting out a war cry, slammed into the ball as fast as she could.

The racquet flew out of Misaki's hands.

"Fifteen-all!"

There was stunned silence from the bleachers, and then-

"HELL YEAH! Show 'em, Tomoka-chan!" Yui cheered. Tomoka gave her a victory sign, grinning.

Kyouko stared in awe. _Two games. It took Osakada two games to figure out how to overcome a faster, more precise, more experienced opponent._

_I had my eye on Kawamura junior; I was sure that girl would be a gamechanger for the team._ Her gaze flickered to Yui._ I never imagined you'd find someone with even more potential..._ She smiled. _That's just like you, isn't it? You always try to beat me in everything._ Her gaze flickered between the two first years on the court.

_Well, I suppose this time, I don't mind_.

* * *

"Game, Osakada! Three games all!"

Tomoka huffed, exhausted but pleased. "You'll regret giving me the first game, Yagyuu-chan."

"We'll see about that." Misaki had stopped smiling once Tomoka had broken her service game, and the one after that as well. True, Misaki had broken all of Tomoka's service games as well, but...

But Tomoka shouldn't have been able to lift a finger against her. She should have dominated the game, crushed her completely. But Tomoka had met her inch for inch, game for game. Hadn't given up. Had kept on fighting, with that glint in her eyes that meant her concentration hadn't wavered.

Misaki tightened her grip on her racquet.

_I won't lose. I _can't_ lose. Rikkai does not lose._

Tomoka served, and Misaki charged.

* * *

"Game and match! Rikkai's Yagyuu, six games to three."

Tomoka clenched her racquet, resisting the urge to throw it and scream. Yagyuu Misaki hadn't been playing at 70% of her full power, or even 50%. She'd been playing at about 40%. And when it was clear that Tomoka had a good chance of winning, when Tomoka had been _hopeful_, she'd let loose. She'd crushed Tomoka completely. She'd been faster, stronger, _better_.

The two girls shook hands grudgingly, separating as fast as they could and returning to their respective captain and vice captain.

"You did good out here, Osakada," Yui reassured her. Kyouko nodded in agreement, but Tomoka simply shook her head and tried not to cry. She asked to stay until the end and watched as Yagyuu Misaki trampled the last player in a 6-0 game and won the newcomer's tournament.

_Next time,_ she though vehemently, _Next time I'll beat you_.

* * *

"We're back~" Yui called as she and Kyouko stepped into Ryuuzaki-sensei's classroom, were said teacher, Tezuka, and Oishi were discussing the line-up for the coming up tournament.

The two girls flopped down into the chairs next to the boys and Yui put her head down, tired.

"Welcome back," Ryuuzaki greeted. "How was the newcomer's tournament?"

"Tomoka-chan beat Hyoutei's player no problem, but they weren't serious about it anyways," Yui reported. "She got her ass kicked and run over in the semis by Rikkai's new first year. Yagyuu Misaki. Put up a good fight, though."

"Yagyuu? As in, _that_ Yagyuu's younger sister?" Oishi asked.

"Yep." Yui raised her head. "She's quite something. Same fast and accurate shots, and she seems to know a lot about how the human body bends." She paused. "That wasn't supposed to come out like that."

Oishi blushed, having not actually though about it in _that_ way before Yui had pointed it out. Tezuka closed his eyes briefly (he was starting to get used to proximity with Shibata Yui; it did not mean he had to like it). Kyouko whacked her on the head. "Anyways. They might actually be a challenge this year. They seem to have changed their lineup quite a bit. They've got this pretty hot foreigner chick; horrible attitude, though."

"Sounds like you, minus the foreigner part," Kyouko remarked.

"So you think I'm hot?" Yui batted her eyelashes, and one hand ran down her body to finger the top of her jeans. "I'm flattered." She yelped loudly when Kyouko whacked her on the head, harder than the first time. "So abusive. Moving on, overall our kid did really well. Of course, Haruka won last year, so Kyouko's gonna be a bit miffed about that for a while," – she dodged another hit aimed at her head – "but that Yagyuu girl was way beyond her level. She's definitely had more experience and training."

"And how does Tomoka-chan feel about her loss?" Ryuuzaki-sensei asked. Kyouko smiled.

"She's all fired up and determined to, I quote, "beat that smug face into the ground at the regionals." Yui frowned. "But she's holding onto her loss too much. She won't let it go until she beats Yagyuu junior."

Osakada Tomoka was someone who felt with all her heart. She loved with all her heart, hated with all her heart, regretted with all her heart, and despaired with all her heart.

It could be her greatest advantage just as easily as it could be her downfall.

* * *

"Line up!" Kyouko called. The club members were quick to get into position in front of her; they'd learned the hard way that she always had a stash of Inui's latest concoction on hand (currently Inui vegetable juice). Even after an exhausting afternoon of practice, they moved quickly.

Kyouko surveyed her players critically. Haruka and Yui were in good shape; no concerns there. Ushimaru and Kawamura were at a satisfactory level for the district and prefectural tournaments.

Ogata still had many moments where lack of self-confidence led to the loss of a match that she should have been able to win, but hopefully Ueno's presence would hold that at bay long enough for Kyouko to address it properly. As for Ueno, her stamina had also improved greatly, but she was still too rash and quick to fall for fake openings, something that would be easily exploitable at higher levels.

Finally, Osakada had seemingly bounced back from her loss at the newcomer's tournament, but her sudden devotion to her training told Yui otherwise. Her progress had skyrocketed following Inui's training regime. She was extremely tenacious, and could even occasionally bring Kawamura to tiebreak. Unfortunately, physical limitations stopped her from doing more. Still, if Osakada were allowed to grow, she would become a force to be reckoned with (It definitely helped that she had motivation to do so).

Kyouko turned her attention back to her regulars.

"As you all know, the district tournaments are this weekend; this will be the last stretch to close the gap in skill between us and our opponents. The regulars will train a bit less; if you injure yourselves before the tournament, I will not be pleased." A shudder from her audience and she chuckled. "Shibata and I have decided on the lineup for the coming tournament." _That_ caught their attention quickly.

"Doubles two, Ogata and Ueno." Kaoru grimaced. _Great. _She didn't mind playing with Rin, but she'd wanted to play singles. Rin, on the other hand, breathed a sigh of relief.

"Doubles one, Shibata and Osakada." The two girls grinned at each other. Yui had consented to helping Osakada in her first official tournament team matches, with the promise that she'd get to play singles at least once.

"Singles three, Kawamura Sakura." The second year squealed with joy, jumping up and down and grabbing Azumi's hands. Azumi, caught off guard, found that she didn't have the strength to pull away.

"Singles two, Ushimaru Azumi." Cue more squealing and even more vigorous jumping from Sakura.

"Singles one, Nishimiya Haruka." Haruka nodded, then grunted when a certain Kawamura transferred her enthusiasm to her, much to Azumi's relief.

"This lineup isn't finalized yet, but barring any major changes, it's the one we'll be going with." She paused. "I can't put this any nicer. All the schools we're going up against are no-name schools. You'll perform well against them." _Or else you'll be running suicides until you drop,_ was the unspoken message. The regulars shivered as one. "Once again, take it easy for now. Relax. Go watch a movie Read a book. _Do not injure yourself_.

"Dismissed!"

* * *

"Taka-san!" Kawamura turned around upon hearing his name. Beside him, Fuji and Eiji stopped as well.

"Ah... Yui-chan," he greeted his fellow third year the way she'd requested him to. "Is everything okay?" Yui beamed.

"Depends. Are you free for the rest of the evening?" she asked.

"Ah, yes..." Kawamura confirmed, wondering where this was going.

"Then let's go on a date!" He choked. Behind him, Eiji cheered ("Way to go, Taka-san!"). Yui smiled expectantly. "Yes? No?"

"I, ah, okay?" That was what he was supposed to say, right?

"Great! Fuji, Kikumaru, I'm stealing Taka-san for the evening. See you all tomorrow!" With that, Yui grabbed Kawamura's hand and dragged the confused boy away with her, leaving a still cheering Eiji and a mischievously smiling Fuji.

* * *

"Thank you for your patronage!" the cashier called as Rin left the convenience store, carrying a plastic bag. She made her way to the nearby park and sat down on her usual bench. Within minutes, over twenty cats of all colours and sizes had gathered around her.

She reached into her bag and pulled out the first can of cat food. Opening it, she dumped the contents onto a small plastic saucer, and set it down. Two cats immediately claimed the saucer and began eating. She worked quickly, opening the rest of the cans. Occasionally, a cat or two mewled and rubbed its head against her impatiently. When all the cans were opened and the cats were all eating, Rin sat back and patted Hachi, the cat eating beside her on the bench.

Two cats started hissing at each other. "Momiji, Kiku! Stop it!" Rin scolded. The two cats hissed once more, then pushed their cans to opposite sides of the sea of cats and ate with their backs to the other. Rin smiled fondly at the cats as she resumed patting Hachi. This was pretty much the extent of what she spent her allowance on; this, and buying food whenever Kaoru had a sudden craving while they were out. She sighed as her mind turned to a topic she'd been trying to avoid.

"The district tournaments, huh?" Rin performed badly under stress. She knew that. It was why she hadn't made the team the previous year, despite having the skill. But with Kaoru, hope fully she'd be able to hold out. _Hopefully._

But did Kaoru even want to play doubles with her? She hadn't looked very please at the announcement.

To be honest, despite all the time they spent together, Kaoru was probably closer to Sakura, who was in the same grade. Sakura seemed to know everyone in her grade, and was at the very least on neutral terms with everyone.

Sakura had the courage to reach out, and bare her own heart for others to see and hurt, in order to make friends. And if Rin was being honest with herself, she didn't have that courage.

"This is where you ran off to?"

Rin jumped at the voice, whirling around. "Kaoru-chan!"

Kaoru smirked "Yo. Figured you'd be here." She sat down beside Kaoru, shifting Hachi so that the cat lay across her lap, full of cat food and sleepy. The cats were familiar with Kaoru and some came up to rub around her ankles. "So. Nervous about the tournament?"

"O-of course not!" Rin tried to smile reassuringly, waving her hands. "We'll do great!"

Kaoru gave her a skeptical look. "Of course." She didn't buy Rin's bravado for a second. She looked away and they sat in silence for a while before Kaoru stood up. "Ogata."

"Y-yes?"

"I don't want to play doubles. Not with you or anyone else. It's not my style." Rin's heart plummeted and she clenched her fists. "But... As I am right now, I can't stand on the singles court by myself." Kaoru turned to face Rin. "Until the day I can, will you stand with me? On the doubles court?"

Through blurry eyes, Rin nodded, smiling a true smile. "Yes!"

"Gwah, what the hell Ogata? You look like I just proposed to you or something! You're creeping me out!"

And Rin could only laugh, because that was just so _Kaoru_.

* * *

Kaidou fought the urge to jump out and ask Ogata-senpai how the hell she managed to gather so many stray cats in one place. He ignored the stares he was getting as he hid behind a tree, several meters behind the bench Ogata-senpai was sitting on.

* * *

"Oh, Kyouko-chan!" a nurse greeted her. "Here to visit your mother again?"

"Yes," Kyouko nodded politely to the passing nurse and continued her way to her destination. Reaching the right door, she opened it and walked in. "Mom, how are you feeling?"

Kuroi Akane smiled, wrapping her daughter into a hug.

"Much better since last time, sweetie. How's school?"

Kyouko sat down and started talking. She felt herself relaxing as she poured out all of her triumphs, her doubts, her concerns, and her feelings to her mother.

_This year,_ she swore, _I'll take my team to the nationals._

* * *

"This is so nostalgic," Yui grinned. She swung on a swing in the playground by her house, a half-eaten ice cream cone in one hand. Taka sat in the swing beside her, his crepe half-eaten as well. "I haven't played on these in forever. Every time I come to the park, I have to push my little brother on the swings." She took a lick from her ice cream.

"I had to push Sakura on the swings too," Kawamura smiled, remembering fond memories with his baby sister.

He hadn't expected Yui to take him to a park of all places; but seeing the beautifully arranged flowers and the pond with turtles and frogs and fish, he could see why she liked this place. She'd pointed out secret paths in the forest and hidden bird's nests that she found with an expert eye. They'd played tag in the forest and visited the couples' garden, a section of the park filled with red roses arranged in the shape of hearts.

It was an unorthodox first date by any definition and Kawamura had enjoyed every second of it. Instead of the usual places he was expecting, such as the mall or the movies, Yui had picked up on his nervousness and taken him to a place where he could calm down and just enjoy the good weather.

"Kawamura junior-chan, huh?" She smiled. "She's really something. I think her stamina's second only to Kyouko."

"Ahaha, that doesn't surprise me," Kawamura laughed. "She would run all around the park with the other kids. She always lasted longer than anyone else." Yui laughed as well; she could definitely see that.

"She's just like you, you know?" she said, pushing off to swing a little bit. "You're both so... _Nice_ and you care so much about everyone. You're both really passionate about what you like to do, and you're honest too." She pushed off to the side to bump into Kawamura, planting a kiss on his cheek. "That's what I like about you." Kawamura blushed profusely and took a big bite of his crepe to avoid replying. Yui laughed and jumped off the chair, finishing her ice cream. "Come on, there's someone I want you to meet."

She led him back into the forest and they stopped in front of a tree. She whistled once, low to high. A few seconds later, a crow flapped down to land on her outstretched arm.

The crow opened his mouth and, to Kawamura's astonishment, croaked, "Pretty bird. Pretty bird."

Yui laughed at Kawamura's expression as she stroked the bird's head, who curled into her touch. "What's your name?" she asked the crow.

"What's your name?" the crow repeated. "Pretty bird, pretty bird. Pretty bird food?"

"Yes, yes, you glutton." With her free hand, she reached into a pocket and tossed a sealed plastic bag onto the forest floor.

The crow flew down after it. Yui and Kawamura watched as it wrestled with the bag, before finally managing to open it and get at the contents within; a generous chunk of crayfish.

"I found this guy three years ago," Yui explained. "He had a broken wing and was hopping around. I scared away a fox that was trying to eat him and brought him home. He flew off the moment his wing got better, but he still remembers me. He used to follow me around _everywhere_."

Kawamura listened contemplatively. "Crows are really smart, aren't they?" he remarked.

"They are," Yui agreed. She snuggled into his side, and Kawamura obligingly wrapped an arm around her shoulders. "Did you know, crows usually mate for life? Unless one dies, the same pair usually gets back together year after year. I think that's really cute, but also sensible; the one that's left behind gets a shot at a second chance."

Kawamura didn't know how to reply to that. Finally, carefully, he spoke. "I think if I were left behind like that, depending on how much I loved that person, I might want to go with them. But at the same time, that probably wouldn't be what they wanted. So I think I would try my hand at a second chance, because I don't want to regret anything."

Yui buried her face into Kawamura's chest. "You're really brave, you know?" She whispered. "I wish you'd been with me two years ago."

_Two years? What happened two years ago?_ Kawamura was itching to ask, but Yui looked so vulnerable, pressed up against him, refusing to show her face. Kawamura didn't have the heart to pick at an open wound. So de decided to change the subject.

"So is his name really Pretty Bird?"

Yui laughed. It was muffled and pitched slightly higher than usual, but it was genuine. "Nope, that's what he calls me. My parents said I shouldn't name him to avoid getting too attached, but - don't laugh - I call him Jack in my head because when I'd found him I had just seen the _Titanic_ movie." She paused. "Don't tell anyone."

"Pffft. I won't."

"Ah! You laughed just now! Taka-chaaaan!"

"Sorry, sorry."

They walked out of the forest like that.

* * *

_I know they brought me here to relax_, Azumi thought wryly, _but I'm not relaxed at all._ She stood awkwardly with her parents and Natsuki as the former commented on the lighting or positioning of a particular photo and the latter ignored her existence, listening to music on her phone and texting her friends.

"We haven't spent much time as a family recently," Mother had said, "and Azumi needs to relax before her tournament. Let's all go see the new photography exhibit that's in town this evening!" And so they'd ended up piling into the car and driving down to the hall where the photographs were being displayed. Azumi didn't really have an appreciation for photography, so this whole trip was rather boring. Natsuki felt the same, if her behavior was any indication (of course, it could also be because she'd been forced to be in close proximity with Azumi for an extended period of time).

"I'm going to go look at… That photo," she announced, pointing to a random photograph with a beach in it, and quietly stepped away from her family. She kept an eye on her parents as she made her escape, in case they noticed and changed their mind. Once she rounded a corner, she turned around – and immediately bumped into a chest.

"Oh, sorry..." She trailed off as she saw who she'd bumped into.

"Don't worry about it," Tezuka Kunimitsu replied calmly.

* * *

Tezuka had been dragged to the exhibition by Fuji, after much pleading and promising to not tease Oishi too much during the next practice. He'd simply nodded and followed along with whatever his friend said; when it came to Fuji Shuusuke, one did his best to take the path of least resistance.

He'd been unaware that Azumi had an interest in photography, and had not expected to see her here of all places.

She was dressed much like a stereotypical western "lady," with a knee-length layered white skirt and a simple pale blue tank top with lace at the top, shoulders covered by a thin red scarf. Her bangs were the same as usual, but her hair was done up in a large bun. She wore ankle socks and a pair of black sandal heels.

He immediately concluded that, a) her mother had dressed her, because she hated putting her hair up like that and wouldn't be caught dead in that pale pastel colour palette otherwise, and b) her family must have dragged her here.

Fuji Shuusuke smiled reassuringly from behind him, breaking their awkward silence. "I didn't know you were interested in photography, Ushimaru-san."

Azumi shook her head. "I'm not. My parents wanted to come. I didn't get to have a say." She scowled. "Apparently I'm supposed to _relax_ before the tournament."

"That's right, the tournament is the same day as ours," Fuji remembered. "Are you ready?"

"Of course," Azumi scoffed. "It's hardly my first time in a tournament."

"Ah, right. You were on the team last year as a reserve player, right?"

"Yes. And Kyouko's been working us to the ground." She glanced at Tezuka. "Have you been giving her tips, Tezuka?"

"No." Kyouko had not approached him at all unless it was absolutely necessary, in fact.

"Kuroi-san also has plenty of experience with tournaments, right? I heard she was even on a national champion team once."

"Yes." Azumi was surprised they'd known that; it wasn't something Kyouko advertised. In fact, Kyouko didn't self-advertise at all. She simply allowed anyone who challenged her authority to taste her tennis. It was, after all, how she'd taken over the tennis club last year.

"How long have you known her, Ushimaru-san?" Fuji kept on smiling; it was starting to creep her out. She unconsciously inched closer to Tezuka.

"About a year, I guess."

"How did you meet?" Azumi glared at Fuji, irritated by his non-stop questions. But she knew he wouldn't stop pestering her until she gave them.

"She asked me to be the manager of the tennis club," she sighed. "Because I was the best at the paperwork." She'd stopped in third year because of student council, though. There was a limit to the amount of paperwork she willingly accepted. "Which reminds me, I still have paperwork left to do..." Her right hand twitched unconsciously as she remembered the stack of paper waiting in her room. "Joy. So much for relaxing."

"Is it something I can help out with?" Tezuka asked. "I've already completed my portion." He was aware that Azumi actually took on more paperwork than he did, as his schedule had less free time.

Azumi fixed him with an amused and exasperated smile. "I'm under strict orders from our scary secretary to not give you any more paperwork," she said dryly. "Something about you being captain of a sports team and I being just a regular. But if you so happen to come over for a visit, and the paperwork so happens to get done faster, well..." She shrugged.

"How mean, you don't want to spend more time me?" Fuji teased his friend. Tezuka glared at him, then turned back to Azumi.

"It is a significant amount of paperwork?"

"53 sheets." It was just like her to know exactly how much paperwork was left, down to the last sheet. "So yes, I'd appreciate any help."

"Then, if you don't mind."

"Of course not, if you don't mind my mother hinting that we should start dating. Again." Azumi smiled. "Do you remember? The first time she said that. I think we both choked on our tea."

She was interrupted by a chuckle from Fuji. "Sorry, sorry." He held his hands up, warding off Tezuka's glare. "I'm just surprised that Tezuka of all people is the one that can make our scary vice-president smile like that."

Azumi rolled her eyes at him. She'd known _of_ Fuji Shuusuke for a long time, but didn't really _know_ him. Fuji Shuusuke alone chose who he allowed to get close to him, and she apparently hadn't been interesting enough in first year to catch the genius' attention (for which she was immensely grateful).

"Well, let me ask my parents. Just follow the sound of my mother's squealing." She turned around and walked away with an extra spring in her steps, taking her hair out of its bun to let it fall loosely around her shoulders and upper back.

"Our vice-president is surprisingly chatty around you, isn't she?" Fuji remarked.

"Not in particular." Tezuka gave Fuji a warning glance. Fuji ignored it.

"So, you've been to her house before? I'm surprised she hasn't been targeted by your fangirls."

Tezuka was silent momentarily before replying. "What makes you think she hasn't?"

* * *

"Oh, this is so great!"

"Mother, please-"

"Did you know, Azumi still keeps the wooden rabbit you carved for her on her bedside table-"

"_Mother_-"

"You still like hojicha right? We got some nice leaves a few days ago-"

Azumi more or less shoved Tezuka out of the car the moment it pulled up into their driveway. Upon hearing that Tezuka would be coming over to visit for the evening, Mother had not. Stopped. Talking.

"The faster we get upstairs, the sooner she'll stop talking," Azumi hissed, pulling Tezuka up the stairs with her. She didn't even notice that she'd began reverting into Tohoku dialect.

"Do you want any snacks, Tezuka-kun?" Mother called after them.

Azumi answered for him. "No, Mother."

"Father says you can close the door!" Apparently, it was mandatory for parents to embarrass their children as much as possible when friends were over.

"_Mother_." They finally arrived at her room. She left the door open a crack, so that her mother wouldn't be able to tease them even more if she came up to deliver snacks.

Thankfully, she had a small walk-in closet, so she didn't have to go all the way to the washroom. She quickly changed out of her skirt and tank top into a hoodie and sweatpants and came out, leaving the closet door open. She took a pile of papers off the top of her stack of paperwork and dropped it into Tezuka's arms, then grabbed the next batch and settled on her bed with a clipboard. Tezuka took a seat at her desk, turning on the table lamp.

He glanced around her room; it was the same as ever. Plenty of novels sat on the bookshelf nailed above her bed. Her desk was slightly messy, papers strewn all over the sides, but there was an empty space in the middle large enough to work on. Her paperwork for student council was arranged in two neat stacks, the face down complete and face up incomplete stack. Her twin sized bed had the same koi fish patterned sheets and pillow cover. She had, indeed, kept the bunny he'd carved for her a year ago on her bedside table.

Her closet was undoubtedly the messiest part of her room. Clothes were strewn haphazardly and randomly stuffed into drawers and shelves. A few articles of clothing, such as dresses and her uniform, were hung up. Belatedly, he realized her undergarments drawer was open and averted his eyes, sighing heavily. Same as ever, indeed.

"Ushimaru." He sent her a meaningful glare and nodded in the direction of her closet.

She just shrugged. "What? It's just you. I don't invite any other guys in here and most girls don't care."

"..." Giving up, Tezuka turned to face the desk and began the paperwork.

* * *

An hour later, they took break as they got rid of the kinks in their bodies. Yawning, Azumi lay down, stretching her boy out.

"Is your arm still giving you trouble?" she asked, turning to glance at him. She hadn't missed the fact that he'd switched to his right hand partway through.

"No." He didn't meet her eyes.

"Liar." She sat up and slid off her bed, grabbing a large towel out of her closet and spreading it over her bed. She then opened a drawer in her bedside table and rummaged its contents around, plucking out a bottle of massage oil. Finally, she settled down on her bed again to the right of the towel and patted it. "C'mon. Get over here."

Tezuka didn't move. "It wouldn't be appropriate."

Azumi arched an eyebrow. Patted the towel again. "Everyone in the house knows I give you massages, Tezuka. Who do you think I practiced on? It's not like I have any other friends that close."

Tezuka refused to move.

She crossed her arms. "Come on, we've done this before. Lots of times, in fact."

"We were younger then."

"That was _two years ago_, Tezuka."

He looked away.

She sighed heavily, leaning against the wall, her eyes downcast and lips pursed. "_Fine_."

Tezuka took a deep breath, equal parts resigned and tired, familiar with that expression. If he didn't give in, Azumi would be standoffish and more critical than usual in student council tomorrow and make everyone else tense and nervous, thus decreasing overall productivity. It was her way of throwing a tantrum when Tezuka refused some request of hers. Thankfully, she didn't use it often.

He took off his jacket and shirt and moved to sit on her right (he drew the line at actually lying down). She opened the bottle and gently rubbed the oil over his shoulder and arm, coating her own hands simultaneously.

She then took his hand and began massaging it, slowly working her way up to his elbow and his shoulder. Reaching his shoulder, she turning him away from her slightly to get a better angle, and continued kneading his muscles, working out the knots. _If your fangirls knew how many times you've been shirtless on my bed, they'd have an aneurysm_, she thought, amused. She spent a few minutes on his neck as well, tsking when she felt how tense he was. He couldn't help the occasional sigh of relief as he felt her fingers get rid of the built-up tension in his stiff muscles. He began drifting off as she worked, but jolted awake when she poked his cheek.

"Tired?" She wiped her hands on the towel. "Take a nap. I'll wake you up." Either way, he was supposed to wait 45 minutes before he washed the excess oil off; otherwise, Azumi would throw another fit, complaining about how he was wasting the oil's dubious herbal benefits. For all that she appeared serious and mature at school, she seemed to regress in maturity around him.

"I should be heading home," he replied, moving to stand up. Azumi leaned over and plucked his glasses off of his face. "Ushimaru!"

Azumi hopped off the bed, actually _giggling_. "Nope. Take a nap and I'll give your glasses back." She was well aware that Tezuka could not see more than a foot clearly in front of him without his glasses.

(He was also secretly very shy about being seen without his glasses and Azumi knew he would not leave the room without them.)

Tezuka glared in her general direction; unfortunately, it only looked like he was squinting at her and the effect was lost. Azumi slipped his glasses down the front of her hoodie (making sure the lenses didn't touch her skin), knowing he would never try to grab them from there even if they were in reach.

"I'll get us some snacks," she announced, heading for the door. But before she could leave, Tezuka reached out and grabbed Azumi's arm, pulling her back towards the bed. She stumbled on the edge of the bed and fell backwards onto it. Tezuka loomed partially over her, not directly in front of her, but enough so that she could see him.

"Return my glasses."

Azumi smiled wryly, fishing his glasses out from under her hoodie. It seemed she'd pushed him a bit too far. She handed them back and he let go, allowing her to sit up. She reached a hand out and gently touched the side of his head. Tezuka, knowing she wouldn't try to take his glasses again, let her.

"Everyone thinks you're so calm, so cool," she remarked softly. "They have no idea what you're like when you're pushed. Tezuka Kunimitsu, control freak. Who would have thought?" She holds Tezuka in the palm of her hand right now; the right choice of words will cut right into him. She felt an old desire to _hurt to tear to leave in pieces_ and squashed it brutally, leaning forwards to rest her head on his shoulder (the uninjured one) instead. "It's okay, you know. To let go a bit. To be a bit selfish. Your teammates can stand by themselves. You don't have to shoulder everything."

It was something that she'd said to him many times, ever since Yamato-buchou told him to become the pillar of Seigaku. Ever since he got the idea that he had to hide any weakness and be the perfect captain to support the team. And every time, she watched as he listened to her but didn't really hear the words. Every time, she watched as he nodded and told her that it would be okay, and then went right to pushing himself to his very limits, some nights clutching his arm when he thought no one was watching.

_If you can't do it for me, can't you do it for Oishi?_ She always wondered. Because Oishi has always stood by Tezuka, supported him in whatever way he could. He'd done so much more for him than Azumi ever had. And yet, Tezuka didn't listen to him either.

She closed her eyes.

_We're scared, Tezuka. We're scared for you because you can't be._

(He gave in when she started patting his head and agreed to take a nap so that he wouldn't have to deal with her antics any further.)

* * *

Tezuka directed the detachable showerhead towards his left arm and let the warm water run over his skin. He stood barefoot and shirtless in the shower room. His glasses were on the sink counter along with a towel. In all honestly, the massage and nap had done him some good; he felt more relaxed and his arm no longer ached. Azumi's mother had offered for him to stay the night, but he'd declined.

Azumi's mother meant well, even if her actions didn't lead to her original intentions. Mother and daughter were similar that way.

"Why her?" a familiar voice interrupted his thoughts.

Tezuka glanced at the door; short black hair, a small tank top, and _very_ short shorts. Even if their voices were the same, Tezuka knew Azumi's wardrobe didn't have such clothes. By process of elimination, he deduced that the intruder was Natsuki, Azumi's older twin sister.

He turned off the showerhead and quickly dried his arm off, then slipped his shirt back on before answering. "What do you mean?"

Natsuki scowled. "You know what I mean. She's the only girl you actually talk to. You don't give any other girl the time of day."

Tezuka wiped his glasses on his shirt. "I listen if they have something important to say." Love confessions definitely did not count. "And your sister is student council vice-president; it would be impossible for me to not talk to her."

Natsuki grit her teeth. "Is that really it?"

"What do you mean?"

"I can _smell_ her fucking _massage oil_. Would you let anyone on the student council give you a _massage_?"

This was partially why Tezuka hadn't wanted to accept the massage. People always drew the wrong conclusions. "You shouldn't use such vulgar language."

"Answer my question!"

"It's none of your concern." He made to walk past her, thinking that to be the end of the conversation.

"Why her?" Natsuki burst out, grabbing his right arm, making him stop. "She's- She's so gloomy and doesn't have any friends, and she's so mean and is always criticizing people like she's so much better than everyone else!"

"I am well aware."

"Then, why? Why her?"

"I don't understand your question."

"Why are you always with her? Why do you always do what she tells you to?"

Tezuka adjusted his glasses. "It's none of your concern," he repeated as he turned around to return to Azumi's room. With that, he entered her room and shut the door.

Natsuki slumped against the doorframe of the washroom. "Why can't it be me? We have the same face..."

* * *

Azumi had fallen asleep during the time Tezuka had been in the washroom. He was thankful for that; it meant she hadn't heard Natsuki's confrontation with him in the hallway.

She lay on the bed facedown, her head resting on her arms. She still wore her glasses. Wordlessly, Tezuka carefully flipped her over and removed her glasses. He then set her alarm clock to go off in twenty minutes.

He left a note on the unfinished stack of paperwork and left, closing the door quietly behind him.

* * *

Azumi woke up groggily to the sound of her obnoxious alarm clock. _I must have dozed off,_ she realized, rubbing her eyes. Tezuka had probably left already. She fumbled for her glasses, finding them close by, and slipped them on, yawning. It was only about 9pm. Still enough t_ime for more paperwork. Yippee_.

She sat down at her desk and yanked the first sheet off of the stack of unfinished paperwork; a small note fluttered to the ground. She picked it up, reading it, and grinned.

"That guy..."

* * *

_Don't stay up past 11._

_Tezuka_

* * *

Tezuka heard his phone beep as he walked down the dark street. He flipped it open and checked the new text.

_From: Ushimaru_

_Subject: :p_

_Thanks. I won't._

He typed a quick reply and snapped his phone shut.

* * *

Azumi jumped when her phone beeped, not expecting such a fast reply. She flipped opened her phone and read the text, then laughed, shaking her head in exasperation.

* * *

_From: Tezuka_

_Subject: none_

_油断 せず に 行こう_

* * *

**A/N**

(1) The kanji used to spell Tomoka (朋香) can also be pronounced Honoka. Honoka, in turn, can be spelled using kanji to mean "flower of fire," or fire flower.

Can anyone guess what Tezuka's text says? It's obvious really.

Also the reason Azumi has his number is actually because she needs to contact him for student council reasons. He didn't have a cell phone before then.


End file.
